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Villages around Vuwani in Limpopo were back on the edge after protesters went back to barricading roads just moments after State Security Minister David Mahlobo led the clearing of blocked roads in the area.
The road from Elim to Vuwani was blockaded along Vyeboom village just after Mahlobo said calm had been restored in the area and that no incidents had been reported in the past 92 hours.
Vehicles were stoned as they negotiated their way along the barricaded road. Police had to use rubber bullets to disperse those who were stoning cars. They were seen running into bushes and towards Vyeboom.
Several vehicles made U-turns when they saw the battles between police and the protesters. A while later, when traffic had started to flow again, a police helicopter was seen hovering over the village and shooting what looked like teargas from the air. There was no access to this part of the village because of the road barricades.
The area was plunged into chaos last week during violent protests which saw at least 24 schools set alight and villages around Vuwani locked down. Schools and businesses were forced to shut during the violence.
Mahlobo was in the area since last week as part of the interministerial task team sent by President Jacob Zuma to quell the fires. The communities were protesting about the redrafted demarcations that would see them being incorporated into a new municipality.
The new council was expected to have its main office in Malamulele but Vuwani residents wanted to remain part of the Louis Trichardt-based Makhado municipality.
Earlier today, Mahlobo joined several local ANC leaders, councillors from Makhado and the police to clear rocks, burnt tyres and branches from the road between Mashau and Bungeni.
Moments after proudly saying during a live television interview that calm had been restored in the area, it was announced that barricades were being set on the road between Elam and Vuwani.
Mahlobo said he was going to meet local municipality officials and politicians in a bid to find solutions to bringing stability to Vuwani.
“We met with traditional leaders yesterday and agreed that we need to engage the communities and condemn the violence. We can’t have people continuing to block the roads and intimidating others,” he said.
On the burning issue of demarcation, Mahlobo said the government was committed to discuss this grievance. But in the same breath he said it was not under his control but the issue fell under the Municipal Demarcation Board. He said this was “not a government process but a demarcation process, which is independent”.
“We’re going to engage [the communities]. There is no government that can run away from its people when they have issues,” he said.
“We’re saying let’s go into a boardroom and listen to these people. There’s only one solution; it is to sit around the table and listen to each other.”
The minister said police deployment had been kept at maximum and that “stop and search” procedures were under way. The police’s visibility was “continuing as a deterrent”.
He said the arrest of 21 people in the last week had also served a deterrent and that they were expecting to arrest more people.
