Mamelodi residents clash with each other over basic services
22 June 2017
Pretoria - Residents of an informal settlement next to Mahube Valley extension one in Mamelodi say they are surrendering after clashes with their neighbours continued into Thursday morning.
Despite some residents from the informal settlement apologising and wanting to stop fighting, tensions between the two communities remained volatile.
On Wednesday night, the two clashed over electricity and water. Both sides blamed each other for initiating the fight.
Several houses and shacks were destroyed by petrol bombs and stones.
One resident, Florence Modise was at home with her two children, aged 16, and 3 on Wednesday night when a petrol bomb was thrown into her living room. Her husband was at work at the time.
She narrowly escaped the inferno with her two traumatised children.
The fire destroyed most of what they owned, and the house is no longer habitable.
Modise said she was both angry and sad that everything they worked for was destroyed and their lives were put in danger.
A resident from the informal settlement who didn't want to be named, said his shack with all his belongings was also destroyed after it was set alight.
The residents of Mahube Valley are unhappy over the theft off their electricity and water which leaves them with a heavy bill.
Residents from both the informal settlement and Mahube Valley did not go to work on Thursday and stayed home instead to protect their communities.
Public order police have been deployed to the area.
It appears police want to bring community leaders together to broker a deal for peace.
Earlier on Thursday, the City of Tshwane electrical crews were brought it to restore power, but left shortly after entering the area.
