Johannesburg - The partially burnt Bekkersdal municipal office in Westonaria on the West Rand was cordoned off on Friday morning as police began investigating.
Service delivery protests descended into chaos on Thursday night with thugs burning down the municipal offices. The building also houses the Eskom and SA Social Security Agency offices.
Last week, about 200 people were arrested for public violence in Bekkersdal. Some were injured during the protests.
The residents were protesting about the poor sewerage infrastructure in their town. They say their pleas have been ignored for years.
According to residents of the Spook Town informal settlement, sewage and refuse have not been collected since last November.
A resident, Sipho Mabasa, told The Star sewage needed to be collected weekly, but that it hadn’t been for almost a year.
Mabasa said the misuse of public funds, lack of development in the area and the nonexistence of basic services such as electricity were some of the reasons why residents wanted the mayor to go.
Witnesses said unidentified people had forced their way into the building and torched the offices.
An Eskom official, who refused to give his name, said the security guards had fled the scene.
The Star