By Hassan Isilow
JOHANNESBURG -The number of schools burned down in South Africa’s northern Limpopo province since Monday has now risen to 19, State Security Minister David Mahlobo has said.
Speaking on national television Thursday night, Mahlobo said thousands of students have now been left without schools due to protesters of a controversial municipality-shifting plan, accusing the protesters of committing the arson.
According to an earlier police statement, nine schools were torched Tuesday night in the town of Vuwani in the Vhembe district, while three others were burned on Monday.
The arson comes as residents of Vuwani are demonstrating against the national Municipal Demarcation Board’s decision to include Vuwani in the newly created Malamulele Municipality.
Residents claim they will not get better services under the new municipality and are demanding to stay under the Makhado Municipality.
Mahlobo said seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the school arson and more arrests will soon be made.
He said they will also deploy the Hawks, a specialized police unit, to help other law enforcement agencies, contain the protests.
“The entire nation is in shock over this occurrence. There is no grievance that can justify the destruction of property, especially schools which are meant to help the next generation defeat poverty, inequality, and unemployment,’’ President Jacob Zuma said in a speech in parliament Thursday.
He said his government has directed law enforcement agencies to apprehend those responsible and bring them to justice.
“Nobody should be allowed to destroy and jeopardize the future of our children and our country,” he said.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) also condemned the arson, saying that such actions affect the students’ future.
This is not the first time that protesters have apparently vented their anger on schools in South Africa. In the past, protesters have also burned trains and clinics and even looted shops to express their anger at poor service delivery or government decisions.
Elijah Mhlanga, a spokesman for the education department, told Anadolu Agency via telephone late Wednesday that about 100,000 students could have been affected by the violence, because protesters also forced 50 schools in the surrounding area to shut down.
