Balfour calm after protests
2010-02-09 08:01
Balfour - The Mpumalanga town of Balfour was calm on Tuesday morning following violent protests on Monday, police said.
"The situation is very calm... nothing serious has been reported this morning [Tuesday]," said Sergeant Sam Tshabalala.
Police arrested at least 22 people for public violence on Monday afternoon after shops were looted and roads barricaded at the Siyathemba township.
"These people barricaded roads with burning tyres, and looted several shops belonging to foreigners, but no-one was injured," said Tshabalala.
A municipal office was set alight in the township during the violence, which started on Sunday and continued into Monday.
Police had opened a case of arson, but no-one had yet been charged, Tshabalala said.
"The groups of people who were causing the commotion saw police coming from a distance and then dispersed. We didn't catch any of them," he said.
Foreigners ask police for help
About 15 foreigners who fled the violence went to the police station on Monday morning to ask to be accompanied back into the township to check on their shops and collect their belongings.
Tshabalala said police would continue to monitor the situation.
President Jacob Zuma visited Balfour last year following a series of protests at Siyathemba by residents demanding the removal of all Mbombela municipal councillors.
In July, residents took to the streets, burning tyres and barricading roads. About 30 foreigners had to stay at the Balfour police station for safety reasons.
The Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (Cormsa) said on Monday that the renewed protests in the township were the government's fault, and that Zuma's visit to the area with a team of ministers last year had not yielded any results.
"Despite the visit of a task team of ministers to the area, no effective and sustainable solution was found to address the grievances being raised and as a result, further violence has occurred," it said.
- SAPA