Midvaal protests

THE mayor of Midvaal Municipality has blamed the SA Municipal Workers Union and “political opponents” for service delivery protests that shut down parts of the only DA-run municipality in Gauteng.

Angry residents from Sicelo informal settlement in Midvaal, south of Johannesburg, took to the streets on Thursday and staged a violent protest, barricading the R59 highway in Meyerton and demanding houses, water and electricity. The violent standoff between police and demonstrators left one person injured and several vehicles damaged.

Yesterday residents resumed their protest. Mayor Bongani Baloyi, said the protests had resulted in an “unusual disorder and violence in our normally stable municipality”.