Five people have been arrested in connection with public violence that erupted in the town of Ritchie, 40km south of Kimberley in the Northern Cape.

The violence led to community members torching the Ritchie municipal building on Monday. Enraged residents were allegedly protesting against poor service delivery in the area.

Three men and two women are expected to appear in the local magistrate’s court soon, pending further police investigations.

Northern Cape police commissioner Lt-Gen Risimati Peter Shivuri appealed for calm and urged the community to resolve their concerns around a table, without resorting to violence and damage to property.

Police spokesperson Brig Mohale Ramatseba said members of the public order policing unit were monitoring the situation.