LOUIS TRICHARDT – SAMWU'S nation-wide strike turned violently ugly on Monday morning, when striking workers brutally assaulted a senior municipal official, Mr Wilson Nkuna, in front of Council's offices. As a result Mr Nkuna fired upon the rampaging crowd, killing one person and injuring two.

The incident occurred while Mr Nkuna (Acting Municipal Manager), together with Mr Peter Magwala (Council's Director of Corporate Services) and Mr Peter Muleya (Council's PRO), tried to meet with the striking workers to discuss problems surrounding the strike.

A tense atmosphere reigned on Council's premises moments prior to the incident, as striking SAMWU members once again took to the streets, barricading it with rubbish, tree stumps and concrete rubbish bins. As a result the police was called in, but in an effort to avoid further conflict in an already volatile situation, Council opted to schedule a meeting with the rowdy crowd to discuss the issue.

As Mr Nkuna and his two fellow officials approached the crowd to inform them of the meeting, the strikers suddenly turned violent. Moments later Mr Nkuna was knocked to the ground and brutally beaten with stones and sticks. Eyewitnesses also recall seeing strikers throwing huge rocks on Mr Nkuna's head. In the ensuing chaos, Mr Nkuna produced a firearm and opened fire on his attackers, wounding three of them. Prior to this, no one had been aware that Mr Nkuna was armed.

A bloody Mr Nkuna was dragged from the crowd by a member of the local Fire Department, Mr Nico Theunissen, who saw what was happening and rushed in to help him. Mr Theunissen, however, first rescued a municipal nurse, Magdel Botha, who tried to help Mr Nkuna.

Mr Nkuna, together with the three wounded strikers was taken to the Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital. Shortly after their arrival, one of the strikers, Mr T Davhana, died from a gunshot wound to the stomach. Mr Nkuna, who sustained severe head injuries, was later flown to an undisclosed hospital in Pretoria for treatment and safekeeping.

Monday's shooting follows weeks of unruly behaviour by striking SAMWU members. Apart from turning the town's streets into a huge rubbish dump, several cases of intimidation were reported. The strike also coincided with deliberate damage to Council property. During this time a temporary municipal worker, who was appointed to ensure service delivery during the strike, was stabbed at the municipal caravan park. Despite this, SAMWU is seemingly trying to save face by either dismissing these allegations or referring to them as isolated incidents.

The town's mayor, Cllr Brighton Tlakula, on Tuesday strongly condemned the incident and stated that he could not condone any form of violence. Mr Tlakula again expressed his condolences towards the family and friends of the deceased and said that a special committee had been appointed to take care of funeral arrangements. As for the other injured people, Cllr Tlakula said that he hoped they recovered soon.

The provincial office of the Democratic Alliance also reacted with horror and disbelief at the violence that erupted. In a statement the party expresses its condolences to the family of the deceased.

The statement goes on to say: "The DA recognizes the right of workers to strike as contained in our Constitution, but the rights of others and the public at large should not be violated. Every right carries a responsibility. We will never condone intimidation or this horrific expression of violence and the DA condemns this violence in the strongest possible words.

"The DA demands an immediate independent investigation that must start its work as soon as possible. We demand that swift action be taken to protect the public and also to protect those workers who do not strike. We demand that the judiciary treat this with the seriousness it deserves."

In the meantime, Capt. Ailwei Mushavhanamadi from the SAPS in Thohoyandou confirmed on Wednesday that a charge of murder and two of attempted murder were brought against Mr Nkuna. He said that a statement has been taken from Mr Nkuna, but that he has not been taken into custody as he is still in hospital.