Rustenburg - A house was burnt down and roads barricaded in Ledig near Sun City in the North West during a protest over investments, community leaders said on Sunday.
“We decided to block roads in an attempt to get government officials to intervene in our problems. It is seven years now…” said community leader Pakaza Mdluli.
He said there was over R500 million missing that belonged to the Ledig community.
“There is a company mining in our area, it offered us shares, at that time there was a traditional council… the council without consulting the community sold the shares.
“They then told us they have invested the money (over R500m) in some companies belonging to the community, when the money matured they told us they have reinvested the money. How do you reinvest when the community does not have water and proper roads?” Mdluli asked.
“We want the council to account to the community. We want to know where is the money.”
Phologoane who is the chairman of the community investment arm, Bakubung Economic Development Unit, said the issue was stoked by some members of the royal family to shield themselves from disclosing what happened to the R12 million they (royal family) got from Wesizwe platinum mine.
“We disclosed everything to them. We even went to the Auditor-General for our books to be audited. Now it is for them to disclose to the community what happened to the R12 million.”
He said the royal family through the acting-chief was supposed to have called a public meeting in February to disclose how they spent the money.
Protests then flared up last week when a group of people went to Phologoane’s parents’ home to make demands.
“In the early hours of Saturday, my parental home was torched,” Phologoane said.
The Moses Kotane local municipality said all roads leading to Ledig were temporarily closed due to community protests.
The roads were re-opened by Sunday afternoon.
Police were monitoring the situation.
ANA