Angry protesters cause mayhem on town’s roads

SABIE – This town has been declared volatile, mere days before several schools and children from the Lowveld need to travel in and around Lydenburg for the interhigh.

Angry protesters again took to the streets this week, blocking roads and setting a truck alight early Tuesday morning.

This follows after a meeting was held last week between community leaders, Thaba Chweu Municipality (TCM) and the office of the MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs.

Protesters blocked the Graskop/Sabie turn-off with poles and rocks and in so doing set a truck alight.

Information was also received that a group would be heading into the town to stop people from going to work.

The newspaper was informed that two fundamental issues remain at the core of the latest uproar, namely the provision of basic services and cutting off illegal connections without consulting the community as agreed upon with TCM.

According to Ms Rethea Myburg, a clinical psychologist who frequently travels from Sabie to Lydenburg, the situation at the moment is dire. Myburg and her 91-year-old father also fell victim to last week’s uproar when protesters refused to let them pass through Mount Anderson, which leads to the Long Tom Pass.

“A truck was pulled across the road, tyres were burning and rocks were rolled onto the road preventing any traffic from passing.

“They were very aggressive and started hitting our bakkie with their hands.

“I opened the window and told them that I was taking my father to the hospital.

“‘F*ck off, you white bitch. You want the town; you think this town is your town,’ they told me.

“My father even tried talking to them in their language, but they even told him to f*ck off.

“Because I had previously phoned the police to find out if the road was open, I decided to phone them again as this was happening.”

At that time one of the protesters grabbed her car keys, in the process bending Myburg’s thumb over as she tried to hold on to the keys.

“When they heard that I was telling the police I was being assaulted, they let us through.

“We encountered another group at the Lydenburg/Mbombela crossing, but they were not as aggressive and let us pass.”

On Tuesday, to reach Lydenburg, Myburg had to drive on a plantation road to travel via Pilgrims Rest. All roads were blocked on account of the uproar. Drivers could, however, pass the crossing at the Lydenburg/Mbombela turn-off.

On Wednesday the road outside her house was blocked by a huge tree that had been dragged across the road. The protesters also damaged some of Myburg’s property and tore down her signboards.

On Wednesday Mr Jandre Stander from Phoenix Flying Squad, K9 and Mounted Security, told the newspaper that both them and the public order policing had run out of ammunition. He was on his way to buy more when the newspaper phoned him.

“They are throwing cars with rocks and petrol bombs. They huddle with correlated iron and shoot at us with slingshots.”

Mr Puleng Mapheto, communications manager at TCM, told the newspaper it was unfortunate that violence again erupted in Sabie, after a fruitful meeting between the municipality, office of the MECs for cooperative governance and traditional affairs and community leaders.

Mapheto said, “We are still trying to establish the reason for the protest at this stage. The issue of public safety rests with the SAPS, however, the municipality condemns any form of violence and intimidation.

“All areas within Thaba Chweu will be subjected to cut-offs should they not honour payment agreements. There is no exception, hence those earning less than

R2 500 and pensioners are eligible for subsidies (water and electricity). They are therefore encouraged to contact their ward councillors to register as indigents.

“Illegal connections and metre tampering have a negative bearing on revenue collection and further contributes to the escalation of the Eskom account. We will employ all mechanisms to maximise the revenue collection strategy in order to honour the payment plan with Eskom.”

Stander told the newspaper on Thursday that Phoenix would provide two vehicles equiped with eight armed guards to escourt the buses of learners travelling to the interprimary and interhigh on Friday and Saturday respectively.

Since Wednesday, station commander of Lydenburg SAPS, Col. Hans Putter and his team of officers together with the POPS and Phoenix has managed to keep protesters at bay and outside town.