Johannesburg - Police are on the scene of an on-going protest in Klipspruit-Wes in Soweto on Thursday morning where a Putco bus was earlier set alight.
Police Captain Kay Makhubela confirmed that protestors had set a Putco bus alight, and used it to block the K43 highway. He said that the road was also blocked by burnt tyres.
"We believe the bus was hijacked by protesters as the driver ran away. He is now at the depot, and police will get a statement from him as to how the bus got there," he said.
Police said the protest was around the appointment of a black principal who the predominantly coloured community believes was appointed irregularly.
Makhubela said police were going to engage with community members.
Last week, learning was disrupted on the first day of the third term as community members lamented the fact that the new principal was black, saying they wanted a coloured principal at Klipspruit-Wes Secondary School.
READ: 'Go slow' threat over black principal fails
Last week on Wednesday July 26, Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi sat down with community members, as well as the school governing body, and resolved to dissolve it.
He said the SGB was not united, and thus could not unite the school. He said that it didn't make sense that the SGB initially accepted the principal, but subsequently challenged their own decision.
Makhubela told News24 that the police were going to open a case of malicious damage to property and public violence once they traced who was responsible for setting the bus alight.
He said that although the flaming bus had been extinguished, the bus was still obstructing the road, making it difficult for people to make it into the community.
Police are on scene along with JMPD and public order policing.
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