The petrol bombing of a Sprinter bus belonging to JCI Mining last Wednesday, was the first sign of political unrest brewing over proposed council candidates for Tokologo.

Another Sprinter was petrol bombed in Extension 7 last Tuesday, while Mhluzi police confirmed on Monday, that three homes in Tokologo were also petrol bombed last week.

On Thursday, another Sprinter bus was damaged when it was tipped on its side. The bus was however not set alight and Mhluzi police say the incident was not reported.

“The homes that were targeted were luckily not razed in the resulting fires, which was extinguished quickly,” Sergeant Nelisiwe Masemola told the Middelburg Observer on Monday.

“We however find the increase in attacks, especially on homes, unsettling,” Sergeant Masemola added. She said that the SAPS cannot officially pinpoint what the motives for the increase of petrol bomb attacks are, but said that the word on the streets were that residents are unhappy with the preliminary ANC candidates list for Tokologo.

According to Ms Rehana Pilodia, Mayor Committee Member, the ANC was informed about the community’s unhappiness over the proposed candidates for Tokologo last week.

“Community members toi toi’ed and we heard of isolated incidents where buses were bombed,” she said on Monday.

According to her, the community believed that they would have no further say in the nomination of candidates.

“It is however only a preliminary list, and the branch will finally decide on their candidate,” Ms Pilodia says.

“The community was informed that they will have a chance to lodge objections against proposed candidates, before the list is finalized,” Ms Pilodia said.

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