Durban - A truck was set alight on Tuesday night in Mpophomeni in the uMngeni Municipality following service-delivery protests that started in the area last week.
The protest action was sparked by the breakdown of a transformer that left 150 homes without electricity.
The uMngeni Municipality announced that it would be conducting meter audits before repairing the transformer.
Police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo confirmed the protest by the Mpophomeni community that took place on Monday and Tuesday.
“On July 11 in the morning, Mpophomeni community members gathered on the R617 road where they blockaded the road with burning tyres and stones. The crowd was dispersed by the police. Again, the next day, they gathered at the same spot and blockaded the road.
“On Tuesday, a truck was torched near the R617. It cannot be confirmed whether it was related to the protest or not. A case of public violence was opened at Mpophomeni SAPS and the matter is under investigation,” she said.
UMngeni Municipality Mayor Christopher Pappas said that according to reports received on the scene, a truck was set alight by criminals in the area.
Pappas said the protest stopped on Tuesday.
“The issue started when an electricity outage affecting roughly 150 houses was politicised.
“Protesters wearing political regalia decided to vandalise the municipal offices and tried to break in.
“The municipality is in the process of conducting audits and replacing the blown transformer as per our initial plans,” he said.
The protest triggered a war of words between the DA and the ANC, with the DA saying the protest was part of an ANC ploy to foment instability in the area.
The ANC in the Moses Mabhida region denied it was behind the protest and the party said the DA was shifting blame because of its inability to lead the community of Mpophomeni.
UMngeni used to be run by the ANC but changed hands to the DA after the recent local government poll.
Roads heading to the Howick City centre coming from the Mpophomeni site were blocked on Tuesday. The situation was calm yesterday.
The DA said that following this explosion, the party attempted to resolve the issue and informed residents of its plan to do so, but ANC members hijacked this issue in order to foment tensions with community members.
The DA said it had photographic evidence of an ANC-branded vehicle which was part of the protest, with some members of the ANC seen distributing food parcels to protesters.
The DA said services in the area had come to a standstill and the municipal offices were closed while parts of Howick were inaccessible.
“It is infuriating that the ANC does not want to accept defeat and would rather disrupt service delivery out of their desperate need for power,” it said.
Following this, the DA said it would take the matter up with the ANC provincial chairperson, Sihle Zikalala, to get him to intervene in the matter.
“It is time the ANC accepts defeat in uMngeni and allows the DA to show them how to successfully run a municipality that puts service delivery first.”
Last month, The Mercury reported that the truck industry was facing a myriad challenges, including rising fuel prices and crime. Gavin Kelly, chief executive of the Road Freight Association, said other challenges facing the industry included blockades, protests and the burning of trucks.
“There are also labour issues and (protests against) the employment of foreign truck drivers where we have seen disruptions to operations,” he said. self-esteem