The Limpopo Provincial Executive Council (Exco) will soon visit protest-hit Malamulele to assess the cost of damage to property.

Provincial government spokesperson Phuthi Seloba said the Exco took the decision during its meeting held in Polokwane on Wednesday.

Schools and shops remain closed in Malamulele following a month-long protest by residents, who are demanding a separate municipality after alleged complaints of poor service delivery by Thulamela Municipality.

An administration block in one of the high schools in the area has been torched.

Seloba said the provincial cabinet also accepts the Municipal Demarcation Board’s report to deny Malamulele a stand-alone municipality. The Limpopo cabinet says police must act decisively in ensuring that the rights of Malamulele residents are not violated and violence is brought to an end.

Seloba said the provincial cabinet decided that the situation must be brought back to normality as a matter of urgency.

“As government, we cannot allow a situation where criminal elements take over some areas and declare them as no-go areas. We condemn the destruction of public property such as schools, libraries and roads.

“It is government's position that no one - no matter how critical or genuine your concerns or problems - has the right to violate the rights of others, particularly vulnerable children's rights to quality basic education.   

“We call upon the Malamulele task team to join us in ensuring that learning and teaching resume immediately and that workers in the private and public sectors go to work freely,” he said. 

Helping the province get back on track

National government has recently taken the decision to restore power back to the Limpopo provincial government by withdrawing administrators from that province.

In 2011, Cabinet placed five Limpopo departments under administration. In July last year, government announced that the province was no longer under administration.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Limpopo said the Section 100 (1) (b) intervention has brought a significant level of financial health to the province.

Seloba said the Exco has decided that each of the five departments must establish a team headed by the Head of Department, which will comprise a Chief Financial Officer, Head of Corporate Services and other senior officials.

He said the departments will report to the Provincial Task Team in respect of the identified areas for performance on a monthly basis.

The Provincial Task Team will then report to the IMC.

The Provincial Task team will be headed by the Acting Director General and Heads of Departments of the five affected departments and other senior officials.

The purpose of the programme is to ensure that the province does not regress on the good work that it has recorded.