WATCH: Protesters torch post office, municipal building in Bot River

06 June, 02:05 PM

A post office and a municipal building were set alight during overnight protests in the Western Cape town of Bot River. 

According to Theewaterskloof municipal manager Gerrit Matthyse, the damage to the buildings and vehicles could run into hundreds of thousands of rands.

The protest action also led to the closure of a section of the N2, which was reopened on Wednesday morning.

Local resident Jason Johannes said the community's grievances were about service delivery.

"We're protesting for better service in our community. We need some houses, we need some toilets, we need some land and water."

He added that the problems started many years ago and residents' requests had fallen on deaf ears.

"We came to a point [where we said] that we're going to stand up so [that] they can hear our voice," he added.

The municipality said no group had contacted it with grievances prior to the protest.

Unconfirmed reports suggested the protest was sparked by the removal of shacks from privately owned land, but the municipality could not confirm that this was the cause of the violence.

The municipality said it would assess the damage and lay criminal charges with the police.