Community holds mayor hostage in Ditsobotla municipal building

By 10.30pm on Wednesday night, it seemed that the mayor of the Ditsobotla Local Municipality was still being held hostage by community members who stormed the municipal offices and set fire to a portion of the building.

News24 spoke to municipal spokesperson, Pius Batsile, who reportedly said the mayor had not indicated that he felt threatened.

Batsile shed light on how mayor Daniel Buthelezi came to be held hostage, saying that while the community had had an appointment with the mayor at 2pm, the mayor was delayed. It was then that the community “demanded” that he address them and stop the meeting he was having, Batsile reportedly said.

Batsile said while the community did not appear to be armed, they were angry and swearing as the mayor led them to his office.

A tactical team is reportedly on the scene and police are monitoring the situation.

Batsile further stated that the community’s gripe was believed to have been regarding the Integrated Development Plan and said their ward had been excluded, yet Batsile said that the plan had not yet been finalised as the municipality was “still consulting communities”.

Just as African News Agency had earlier reported that about 40 community members had been thought to have stormed the municipal offices, Batsile also reportedly said there were about 35 people.

Riot police keeping a watchful eye outside the Ditsobotla Local Municipality in Lichtenburg. @News24 pic.twitter.com/PB8sp1Hwjj

— Sharlene Rood (@ssharim) May 24, 2017

Scenes from outside Ditsobotla Local Municipality in Lichtenburg, where mayor Daniel Buthelezi, is held hostage by the community. @News24 pic.twitter.com/UtYnwUAkzT

— Sharlene Rood (@ssharim) May 24, 2017

@eNCA @ANN7tv @SABCNewsOnline @MyNews24 The current situation at the Ditsobotla local municipality @MbalulaFikile pic.twitter.com/wDZEFmNn9r

— Bhebhe King (@Bhebhewabantu) May 24, 2017

Earlier

Police have reportedly confirmed that the mayor of the Ditsobotla Local Municipality in Lichtenburg, North West province, is being held hostage by community members in the municipal building and that a section of the building had been set alight.

This, after a group of community members stormed the building.

According to the report by News24, a hostage negotiator was on the scene and police were also “monitoring the situation”.

TimesLIVE further reported that the fire in parts of the municipal offices had been extinguished.

Jacqueline Theologo of the DA reportedly told TimesLIVE that the community had stormed the municipal offices on Wednesday afternoon and had allegedly threatened to set themselves alight in a desperate bid for their concerns to be heard.

Theologo reportedly said that service delivery was in a “terrible state” in the area.

– Caxton News Service