Ratanda: Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has visited the families of two men who were killed during violent service delivery protests at Ratanda in the Lesedi Local Municipality. The protests erupted last week in response to water outages in the area, leading to confrontations with the police. During the unrest, the home of the municipality's Executive Mayor was set on fire.
According to South African Government News Agency, Premier Lesufi expressed the emotional difficulty of meeting with the victims' families. He emphasized the pain experienced by the families and the challenging questions they posed, such as whether their children should die over issues like water shortages. Lesufi assured the families that the water issue had been resolved and that a task team had been established to address financial and billing challenges over the next six months.
Lesufi acknowledged the dissatisfaction and concerns raised by the families during his visit. He committed, along with the Executive Mayor, to offering support, including counseling and assistance with burial activities, as requested by the families. He noted the complexity of the situation, stating that public representatives should focus on service delivery but affirmed their continued cooperation with the affected families.