Johannesburg - Four people were arrested on Monday in Vuwani, Limpopo and others were taken in for questioning.
The arrests took place as police continue investigations into the public violence that saw over 20 schools in the area torched.
Spokeswoman Colonel Ronel Otto said the area had seen incidents of public violence in the past week.
“The SAPS have taken into questioning several people as part of the ongoing investigations regarding the situation in Vuwani,” said Otto.
“The operations are aimed at tracing suspects that are involved in public violence and other related crimes in the area. The task team arrested about four individuals early this morning regarding their involvement in the current violence.”
Residents in Vuwani and surrounding areas have vowed to bar Independent Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) officials from the area on Wednesday, the day on which the local government elections are to be held, until their demands were met.
The elections boycott comes after months of protests by communities demanding that their area should not form part of a newly planned municipality, arguing that they were not consulted by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB).
The communities rejected a peace deal signed last week by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen and eight traditional leaders, aimed at ending the shut down in Vuwani and surrounding areas. They accused the traditional leaders of signing the deal without consulting them.
Thousands of learners missed classes for months in Vuwani.
The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) is to brief media in Vuwani on the state of readiness for the local polls on Monday.
African News Agency