School torched near Malamulele

A school in Khakhanwa, near Malamulele, has been partially destroyed in a fire, Limpopo police said on Thursday.

Five classrooms and the office of the principal were damaged in the fire on Wednesday evening, Colonel Ronel Otto said.

"No arrests have been made and the police have been deployed to the area."

This was the fourth school to be set alight following days of violent protests in the area.

A section of Malamulele High School was set alight on Monday night. On Tuesday, another school in Gikana village, about 40km from Malamulele, was torched. A third was set alight at the nearby Xikunda village.

Otto said arson had not been ruled out as a possible cause.

Meanwhile, Malamulele remained quiet on Thursday morning.

The town has been tense and under heavy police watch following a month of violent protests. They started before the general elections in May last year. The unrest re-ignited last month with residents demanding that they get their own municipality.

On Friday, the Municipal Demarcation Board's announcement that Malamulele did not qualify for its own municipality led to roads being blocked and tyres being set alight in protest.

Residents allege the Thulamela municipality has been channelling services to Tshivenda-speaking areas, rather than their own, which is dominated by Xitsonga speakers.