Protest for access to basic service delivery turns violent

Community Alerts/Kennedy Pholose/Thekwane-Rustenburg/08 May 2017

Nkaneng informal settlement residents near Photsaneng in Rustenburg, Northwest settled on the land belonging to Photsaneng community but Royal Bafokeng and Rustenburg Municipality left the Anglo Platinum workers to invade and take the piece of land, there is high level of crime there, prostitution, illegal immigrants and others. Nkaneng residents have been demonstrating against service delivery since 30th April 2017 night. And this happened after an IDP meeting with Rustenburg Local Municipality; among their grievances there water access, sanitation, electricity, proper roads and employment. They blocked main access road to Marikana from Rustenburg, this had been hampering scholars to their respective schools and all mining houses like Sibanye, Glencore, Lonmin, Tharisa and other companies as their workers have to use make shift forest roads irrespective of sometimes being ambushed by these angry mobs or N4 which is far away from and to work. Violence escalated when they started to blow down 118 concrete electrical poles that supply all above mining houses and communities like Photsaneng, Mfidike and Thekwana. Nkaneng residents also swore to blow Photsaneng and Thekwana water reservoirs and attack them because of their lack of support on their demonstrations. That’s the price these communities have to pay of being dispossessed their land. Thekwana and Photsaneng residents have been meeting on how they can protect their property and their lives. Royal Bafokeng Authority’s security that have been tormenting Photsaneng,Mfidike and Thekwana residents on stand allocations has not shown up and Rustenburg Municipality has not responded to this as usual