Hebron - Large rocks and garbage was strewn along streets in protest-hit Hebron, outside Pretoria, on Monday.
Residents barricaded the streets during violent service delivery protests on previous days.
A few metres from the Hebron police station the road was still blocked with drums, stones and pieces of road signage metal.
Children were walking through the rubble from nearby schools, led by guardians. One parent, Maggie Nonzamo, said she hoped the strike had subsided to allow children to return to classes permanently.
“As you can see the situation is still scary, we have to escort the children to and from school,” she said.
“Even these young children are scared to go to school on their own. We hope this will all pass soon,” she said holding her son's hand.
Shops had been broken into and the business owners, said to be Pakistani, were not visible in the area.
Another resident, Anna Mothiba, said the area could degenerate into violence again after a meeting scheduled for 4pm.
“We expect the politicians to address us today. If they do not give us a good story, there will be chaos,” she said.
Earlier, North West police spokesman Brigadier Thulani Ngubane refused to give Sapa information about the protest over the phone.
“I am not a journalist giving updates about protests, that is your job. I comment on crime not protests. I don't care you can quote me if you want,” he said.
Sapa