Malamulele - A shop was set alight in a village outside Malamulele on Tuesday by people who had attempted to break in, Limpopo police said.
“An unknown number of suspects attempted to break in and were disturbed by a security guard. The guard was stabbed with a knife and the shop was set on fire allegedly by the suspects,” said Colonel Ronel Otto.
One person was arrested.
She said although the village was next to Malamulele, the incident was not believed to have any links with protests in Malamulele.
The shut down of Malamulele has entered its fifth week as residents remained defiant in demanding their own municipality.
Protests erupted in the area last year before the May general elections, and re-ignited a month ago with residents demanding their own municipality.
Since January, four schools have been set alight.
On Friday last week, roads were blocked and tyres set alight after the Municipal Demarcation Board announced that Malamulele did not qualify for its own municipality. The area calmed down later that day, with no serious incidents reported.
Residents claim the Thulamela municipality has been channelling services to Tshivenda-speaking areas, rather than their own, which is dominated by Xitsonga speakers.
Sapa