The EFF’s barricading of the busy R59 main road next to Pielsfarm, Midvaal this morning – after being prevented from illegally invading land, is another politicking stunt to create chaos and destabilize the Midvaal Local Municipality.

The Midvaal Local Municipality condemns any and all types of disruptive protests which have become a hallmark of the EFF’s mode of operation during the election campaign period.

The Midvaal Local Municipality was informed that the EFF were about to illegally occupy 100 stands on privately owned land in Midvaal and as a result, we sent the Red Ants to prevent the illegal land invasion.

However, as a result, the EFF has this morning started an illegal protest in Midvaal by barricading the R59 and have violently threatened community members who did not want to take part in the protest.

The protests in Pielsfarm are not about failure of service delivery in Midvaal, as we have achieved the following:

– In the long-term, approved a housing development called The Grace that seeks to provide housing and better service delivery by targeting the following communities: Pielsfarm, Khayelistha and Boitumelo.

– In the short-term, Under the Phase 1 roll out of the Extension Services to Informal Settlements on Private Property we did the following:

– Stabilized 24 hours water provision and access by linking them to the water network and Installed Enviro-Loo toilets and improved access to sanitation.

This illegal protest action which prevented road users from getting to work on time and intimidation of community members shows their contempt for the progress of all South Africans, we will act to ensure that no further chaos occurs.

Through our constant communication with law enforcement authorities, six arrests have been made and the investigation into continued unrest is still under way.

We will continue to keep making progress in Midvaal and put the safety of our residents first.