Tshikota residents block a road in a protest over water. Photo: Bernard Chiguvare
21 October 2019
Twelve people were arrested last week following protests by Tshikota residents in Louis Trichardt over water. Six police officers were injured in the protests.
Constable Tshifhiwa Radzilani of SAPS said the 12 appeared in Louis Trichardt Magistrates Court on Thursday on charges of public violence. They were released and the case postponed to 15 November.
Police are monitoring the situation. The streets were quiet on the weekend.
Tshikota residents had blocked roads leading into the township on Tuesday demanding a reliable water supply. Residents told GroundUp that their taps only had water for a couple of hours during the night.
Vhembe Municipality communication manager Matodzi Ralushai said the municipality was aware of the problem. Ralushai said once the Kutama-Sinthumule bulk water supply project is completed there would be a constant water supply in Tshikota. The project is meant to be completed only in December 2020.
Tshikoto, a township on the west side of Louis Trichardt (in the north of Limpopo province), had a population of 7,500 people in the 2011 census. Image from Google Maps.