The MEC for Social Development, Nkakareng Rakgoale inspects the damaged Tshitale One Stop Centre. Photo: Department of Social Development
LIMPOPO – Following violent protests in Tshitale in the Makhado Municipal area, the MEC for Social Development, Nkakareng Rakgoale has closed the One Stop Centre until further notice.
Photo: Department of Social Development
Rakgoale visited the centre after protesting residents went on a rampage on Friday, 4 October, vandalising the building which houses SASSA and Social Worker’s offices, demanding a tarred road.
Spokesperson for the department, Witness Tiva says the protestors also vandalized a court building and parts of a police station. Files of clients have also been destroyed as well as office equipment and parts of the building.
Photo: Department of Social Development
“In the meantime, services will be rendered from the Muila Tribal Office, Muwaweni and Mashamba until the building is repaired,” she said. She further urged the community to exercise their right to protest in a responsible manner and refrain from acts of violence.
Photo: Department of Social Development
Photo: Department of Social Development
Photo: Department of Social Development
Photo: Department of Social Development
“We are calling on the police to intensify their investigations and ensure that people who are responsible for the acts of violence are brought to book, as tax payer’s money is going to be used to repair the same infrastructure.”
Raeesa Sempe is a Caxton Award-winning Digital Editor with nine years’ experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and started her journey as a community journalist for the Polokwane Review in 2015. She then became the online journalist for the Review in 2016 where she excelled in solidifying the Review’s digital footprint through Facebook lives, content creation and marketing campaigns. Raeesa then moved on to become the News Editor of the Bonus Review in 2019 and scooped up the Editorial Employee of the Year award in the same year. She is the current Digital Editor of the Polokwane Review-Observer, a position she takes pride in. Raeesa is married with one child and enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music and baking – when she has the time. “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." – Tom Stoppard
