TWO houses belonging to ANC leaders in the Maruleng local municipality near Tzaneen were set alight following a rift between members of the community and the management of the Lorraine Clinic.
This led to the department of health and social development closing the clinic until further notice.
The clinic treats between 400 and 800 people a day, and with the closure patients will have to travel more than 5km to another clinic.
Yesterday provincial health spokesman Joe Maila said the department had decided to temporarily close the clinic for safety reasons.
The rift started when a group of people calling themselves a "Concerned Group" marched to the clinic premises last week demanding that the management appoint local people as security personnel.
This was after the provincial department of health had appointed a security company to provide security services.
Sources in the village said those who burnt the houses were a group of ANC Youth League members who support the re-election of party president Jacob Zuma in Mangaung in December.
But ANC regional secretary, Bricks Manzini rejected the allegations, saying the suspects were criminals of another political party committing crimes in the area in an effort to vilify the ANC.
Houses set alight, clinic closed after protest
TWO houses belonging to ANC leaders in the Maruleng local municipality near Tzaneen were set alight following a rift between members of the community and the management of the Lorraine Clinic.
This led to the department of health and social development closing the clinic until further notice.
The clinic treats between 400 and 800 people a day, and with the closure patients will have to travel more than 5km to another clinic.
Yesterday provincial health spokesman Joe Maila said the department had decided to temporarily close the clinic for safety reasons.
The rift started when a group of people calling themselves a "Concerned Group" marched to the clinic premises last week demanding that the management appoint local people as security personnel.
This was after the provincial department of health had appointed a security company to provide security services.
Sources in the village said those who burnt the houses were a group of ANC Youth League members who support the re-election of party president Jacob Zuma in Mangaung in December.
But ANC regional secretary, Bricks Manzini rejected the allegations, saying the suspects were criminals of another political party committing crimes in the area in an effort to vilify the ANC.
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