Protest over service delivery turns violent in S. Africa

A protest over poor service delivery turned violent on Thursday as protesters burned municipal buildings and schools in Malamulele, northern South Africa.

Malamulele, a township in Limpopo Province, has been hit by violent protests that have continued for weeks.

On Thursday, two schools and a number of municipal properties were set on fire as Cooperative Governance Minister Pravin Gordhan was meeting with the Malamulele Task Team in an effort to bring stability in the area.

There was no immediate report of casualties.

So far seven schools have been set on fire since violence erupted five week ago.

Hundreds of local residents are protesting against a municipal plan to merge Malamulele with Thulamela municipality. Residents demand that Malamulele remains independent because service delivery in Thulamela is poor. They threaten to intensify the protest if their demand is not met.

Businesses, schools and taxis service have been halted, leaving thousands of people stranded.

A large contingent of police officers have been deployed in the township to monitor the situation.

The protests were the latest in a series of riots that rocked parts of the country where people protested over deteriorating service delivery. Endi