Vuwani descends into violence again

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse protesters in the area, about 40km south of Thohoyandou.

The Vhembe municipal area was this week declared a disaster area after 50 schools were either burnt down or vandalised in protest against a Municipal Demarcation Board decision to incorporate Vuwani into a new municipality. On April 29, the Limpopo High Court dismissed residents' attempts to overturn the decision.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said on Tuesday it would cost at least R750m to repair the damage. Many of the schools’ records and the annual matric marks were destroyed.

The schools were in villages in the Vuwani-Levubu area, and did not have the broadband and internet access to store records off site. Many were in very rural areas and police could not reach them quickly.

News24