- The City of Ekurhuleni said it could not rule out that the violent protests in Tembisa were politically driven.
- The protests claimed four lives.
- The municipality vowed to expose those who were behind the most recent protest.
Ekurhuleni community safety MMC Letlhogonolo Moseki says there's more to the violent Tembisa protests than meets the eye, and that a political agenda cannot be ruled out.
He was addressing the media on Wednesday.
"Without a doubt, this is criminality. How do you justify the torching of a municipal building and cars?" Moseki asked.
"They damaged a building that was meant to service the residents of Tembisa. We are of the view that this is a criminal element.
"We are clamping down on all those activities. We can't rule out that it is politically motivated. Our investigators are on the ground. Once it has been confirmed that it is politically motivated we will identify those behind it. This has a third hand behind it," he said.
He added:
Moseki said the estimated cost of the damage amounted to millions of rand.
Ekurhuleni Mayor Tania Campbell will address residents on Friday, and Gauteng Cogta MEC Lebogang Maile is expected to address residents later on Wednesday.
Four people died during the violence and 31 vehicles, including many that belonged to the municipality, were torched. A municipal building was also torched and looted.
Two people were killed while attempting to blow up two ATMs at the Tembisa Customer Care Centre, and another two were shot dead during the violence.
No one has been arrested.