Since 05:00 on Monday, residents were held hostage by protesters who had blocked off all roads leading to and from town.

Several images and information regarding the obstruction of the town’s roads were shared on WhatsApp groups, informing residents of the blockade causing heavy traffic congestion on provincial as well as town roads. In Lydenburg centre, the situation was chaotic with the main road (Voortrekker) being blocked off by two bakkies and a truck parked across it.

Entrances that were affected included the Dullstroom interchange, the R37 Burgersfort Road, the R36 Ohrigstad Road, the R36 Badfontein Road and the main road leading to the R37 Long Tom Pass. The SAPS were informed of the blockaded roads and efforts to reopen them soon followed. Unfortunately, as soon as a road was opened, it was simply blocked again. As residents’ concerns grew, panic set in and many opted to turn around in case of a violent flare-up. Hoërskool Lydenburg (LHS) and Lydenburg Laerskool (LSL) said all pupils who had managed to make it to school, would not be penalised for late arrival.

Chrismari Aucamp, LHS’ acting principal, said all learners coming from outside Lydenburg should rather avoid trying to enter town. “All entrances are blocked. It is not worth risking the safety of our kids.” Cornelus Lemmer, principal of LSL, said some personnel had also been stuck due to the blockade. “We are busy with crisis management.”

By 11:00, the situation was still dire and looming protests were being monitored. According to information received, the riot follows the closure of Glencore’s smelter outside town. Reports indicate that the group, Save SA Smelters, that was responsible for the closure, is set on disrupting travel to and from the mines leading out of Lydenburg.

Late morning, seven protesters were arrested by the SAPS. The group is in favour of the reopening of the smelter and the further prevention of job losses in the chrome industry. Screenshots captured on social media platforms were forwarded to the newspaper.

They read, “Open the smelters or close the mines too. We demand beneficiation now!”

According to Mining Weekly, beneficiation has long been a priority for the South African government, given the relative economic resilience of countries that are less reliant on commodity exports. The decade-long malaise at state-owned power utility Eskom, combined with China increasing its ferrochrome production capacity, has resulted in a scenario where local chromium beneficiation is practically unfeasible.

In June, Glencore’s Lydenburg Smelter and its other ferroalloy mines in the area had begun with Section 189 labour law procedures. The decision was taken as a result of the worsening operating environment across the country’s ferrochrome industry, including unsustainable electricity pricing.

Despite significant investments in an attempt to make the operations more competitive, the parties had continued to come under substantial operational and financial pressures. The smelter was closed down shortly after Glencore’s announcement and placed on care and maintenance. By late morning, roads were reopened while the SAPS remained on high alert for any other attempts of closure.