Unrest in QwaQwa – Police arrest 34 rioters, ANC blamed for minor’s drowning
Makhele confirmed that the police have sustained a heavy presence in Mandela Park and work is being done to restore law and order in the village. Free State’s public order police have been deployed to QwaQwa to contain the unrest that has been ongoing since the death of an eight-year-old.
According to police spokesperson, Sam Makhele, more than 300 members of the QwaQwa community barricaded roads with burning tyres and looted stores in response to the drowning of eight-year-old, Mosa Mbele.
Makhele confirmed that the police have sustained a heavy presence in Mandela Park and work is being done to restore law and order in the village.
“Thus far, we managed to disperse some of the crowds and our public order police members are deployed in the area. We managed to arrest about 34 on the ground and we expect these arrests [to] continue because according to information we picked up on the ground, there are some groups which are recruiting in the area but we keep on monitoring the situation,” Makhele told eNCA.
Why is the Mandela Park community protesting?
Tensions in Mandela Park have remained palpable for two days. Mbele lost her life on Saturday, 18 January, after she allegedly drowned in a river while attempting to collect water.
The river has been the community’s source of water for many years. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has pinned the blame squarely on the African National Congress (ANC).
In a statement, DA MPL of the Official Opposition in the Free State Legislature, Leona Kleynhans, revealed that Mbele’s tragic death could have been avoided if the ANC had heeded warnings about the dangers facing Mandela Park and other communities which do not have access to water, five years ago.
“Between 2015 and 2019, we suspect that R50 million of grant funding was stolen, while a further R200 million intended for water infrastructure was ‘used for other purposes.
“The DA believes that the people of QwaQwa, who have been electing the ANC to govern the municipality for 20 years, have been misled and betrayed by this party. The entire ANC have in all that time condoned and encouraged the plundering and mismanagement of Maluti-a-Phofung,” Kleynhans charged.
ANC promises to provide townships with basic services
The ANC also issued a response to the tragic incident. In a statement, Premier Sisi Ntombela expressed her ‘shock’ about the death of Mbele.
She acknowledged that the water crisis facing many communities in the province is something that is high on the party’s agenda.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of little Mosa and we want to assure the family and communities affected by the water shortages that government and various stakeholders will work around the clock to turn the situation around so that this does not happen again,”,” she said.
The Premier pleaded with the Mandela Park community to refrain from taking their anger out on state infrastructure and innocent business owners. She warned that investigators ought to be allowed the time and space to efficiently probe the death of Mbele.
“While we understand the pain that both the family and community at large are currently going through, we are also pleading with members of the community to allow authorities to conduct the necessary investigations into this incident. I would also like to request that the family be allowed time and space to mourn the death of their daughter,” she added.
In other news – Somizi reveals #SomhaleWhiteWedding Dress code & it’s just too much
Somizi and Mohale are preparing for their white wedding and from the looks of things, Mzansi is in for extravagant luxury.
If you thought Somizi and his hubby had pulled out all the stops for their traditional wedding, no-one would blame you. They did. However, it turns out the two are set to top their standard, with their white wedding destined for the books. continue reading
Source: The South African
