Phiyega visits Tzaneen after violent protest

Tensions have been high in the community since Thursday after the body of a woman was found in the area.

SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said two people were taken in for questioning but later released. However their houses were burned on Saturday by angry community members. When police confronted the protesters, a 15-year-old boy was shot dead, allegedly by police.

On Tuesday evening, about 1 500 members of the community went on a rampage, armed with petrol bombs and stones, to attack the police at the station.

Two men aged between 25 and 40 were shot during the incident.

Mulaudzi says 15 officers were injured, three critically and 19 police vehicles were damaged during the confrontation while nine people were arrested for public violence.

Mulaudzi said the intentions of the protesters were clear and the officers did what anyone would have done to protect themselves.

The latest incident follows an outcry over the death of four people, allegedly at the hands of police, during water protests at Mothutlung near Brits in North West.

Phiyega together with Limpopo Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Fannie Masemola will share some of the immediate interventions and the roles and responsibilities of the organisers of public protests.