The incident was shared on a WhatsApp-group with exclusive council membership.
From there it spread like wildfire on other groups.

This week, community members were also asked a number of times to accompany contractors working on electricity and water problems, to protect them from escalating attacks.

The municipality remains on lockdown, with strict access control having been implemented after a damaging flood of the civic centre, caused by a toilet-paper clogged wash basin, with the tap left open throughout the night.

Disciplinary action is going ahead against 12 municipal employees, and more suspensions are expected within days.

The torching of the truck comes on the back of numerous other incidents in which councillors were held hostage, assaulted and threatened.

Acting Municipal Manager, Ms Thokozile Zulu, got a glass of water to the face, while deputy director of traffic was viciously assaulted.
Both the municipal CFO and HR manager has also been assaulted.

The ongoing violence resulted in additional security being contracted, which has also raised the ire of employees, whose every move is being recorded and micro-managed.

Numerous vehicles have been damaged at the municipality by striking employees who are surrounding the civic centre every day to ensure no services are rendered.

Police are again shining in their absence.

• Get your latest copy of the Middelburg Observer for more in depth reporting on the chaos.