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A municipal building and vehicles in Lamontville, Durban, have been severely damaged after angry protesters allegedly torched them, police have said.
It is believed that protesters from Madlala Village, who are demanding RDP houses and electricity, set the municipal building and vehicles alight at the Sizakala Centre in Lamontville.
According to police, six government vehicles were burnt.
"Three of those vehicles belonged to social development and the other three belonged to the eThekwini Metro," police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said.
Some of the municipal offices belonged to Sassa, and a clinic housed in the building belonged to the provincial government.
eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said that elderly people were now going to have to endure spending money travelling long distances to access these services that had been on their doorstep.
"We are back to square one, and where is the money going to come from to repair these offices?" he asked.
It is believed that the residents took to the streets on Sunday and Monday morning after the area experienced power cuts for more than a week.
Mbele said that the [Public Order Policing] POP members had been sent to Lushezi Road, where the protesters had moved to. They had since been dispersed.
Kaunda condemned the incident and called on law enforcement agencies to find those implicated in the destruction of state property.
"While we respect the right of the people to embark on peaceful protests, we view this latest incident in a very serious light," he said.
"How do you demand electricity and destroy state property that is of help to the community?"
"This is treason as far as we are concerned and there is no amount of grievances that would justify this inhumane behaviour."
In an update on Monday, eThekwini metro spokesperson Parboo Sewpersad told News24 that, "So far, only three people have been arrested."
Police did not confirm the arrests at the time of publication. Additional comment will be added once received.
