Port Elizabeth - The Eastern Cape executive council has condemned service delivery protests in Sterkspruit.
“(We) condemn in the strongest terms the disruption of government services and various acts of intimidation meted out against civil servants,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.
It blamed a group that called itself the “leadership of civic organisations in the Sterkspruit area”.
It said the protests resulted in civil servants staying away from work, which made government offices inaccessible.
“(We are) calling upon all civil servants to return to work with immediate effect to provide the required services to citizens,” the council said.
Police had been mobilised to ensure the safety of civil servants and government property.
In February, Sterkspruit residents, under the banner of the Sterkspruit Civic Association, shut down the town for two weeks.
They demanded a stand-alone municipality separate from the Senqu municipality, which incorporates Lady Grey and Barkly East.
Other complaints related to lack of service delivery in Sterkspruit, and allegations of corruption and nepotism in the Senqu municipality.
Protesters reportedly blocked roads with rocks and burning tyres and demanded a “toll fee” from motorists.
Eastern Cape premier Noxolo Kiviet's spokesman Mxolisi Spondo said the unrest in Sterkspruit was ongoing. - Sapa