Vaal service delivery protest turns ugly

11 September 2009 - 02:00
By Ntwaagae Seleka

SERVICE delivery protests turned ugly yesterday when angry Rus-ter-vaal, Vaal, residents set alight two government buildings.

SERVICE delivery protests turned ugly yesterday when angry Rus-ter-vaal, Vaal, residents set alight two government buildings.

The angry community set a clinic and community hall on fire. The residents claimed that they were angered by the Emfuleni local municipality and government's failure to build them RDP houses.

Police had their hands full extinguishing the fire and dispersing the angry residents with rubber bullets. A water tanker was also used to drive away the protestors. They retaliated by pelting police with stones. Roads leading into Rus-ter-vaal were barricaded with rocks, bricks, tree branches and other objects.

Protestors said if President Jacob Zuma managed to visit Balfour - which had also experienced service delivery protests - then he should visit their area so they could tell him their problems.

A manager at Emfuleni municipality, Felicity Human, was rescued by police from the angry crowd while attempting to receive a memorandum of their demands.