With just two days after the local government elections earlier this week, former president Nelson Mandela's village of Qunu has found itself the scene of one of the first post-election protest in the country. Earlier in the morning, a group of angry Qunu youths who claim to be ANC members, blocked the N2 near the Nelson Mandela Museum with rocks and burning tyres.
When they were dispersed by the police a while later, the group which was armed with sticks and clad in ANC T-shirts, some with President Jacob Zuma's face on them, turned their anger towards schoolchildren resulting in the closure of at least two schools in Qunu shortly before 11am.
As a result, close to 1000 schoolchildren had to miss classes yesterday as scared teachers gave in to the demands of the protesters.
First, they went to Milton Mbekela Senior Secondary School where they ordered teachers to release the children.
They later did the same at the neighbouring Qunu Junior Secondary School.
One of the youths leading the march, Phikolomzi Habe, said their gripe was with the ANC regional leadership which had failed to honour a promise to remove the party's Ward 19 candidate Unathi Daniso, who Habe claimed had been imposed on the members in the ward.
He said the members in the ward instead had nominated for Mntunzima Thwala and Bantu Habe.
"We had several meetings with regional chairman Nkompela and MP Beauty Dlulane who promised to sort this out by August 4. They said we should go and vote as they would ask him to resign by August 4. But they have not addressed that, hence we took to the streets.
Qunu youth block N2 with rocks and burning tyres, just two days after poll
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