After 23 schools were set alight and other property destroyed in the area, police on Friday tightened security, searching motorists and pedestrians travelling between Vuwani and neighbouring villages.

Earlier, Limpopo police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, 15 suspects had been arrested in connection with the mayhem.

Ledwaba said during the demarcation protests 23 schools were torched, 18 of them were partially damaged. A tribal office, a post office and vehicles were also reduced to ashes allegedly by angry protesters. Schools, public transport services and businesses remained closed.

The violent protests started on Sunday after residents were told by community leaders that their court bid to be excluded from the new Malamulele municipality had failed.

A Limpopo High Court on Friday ruled against the Vuwani community’s application against the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) decision to include their villages in the new municipality, which would encompass Vuwani and Malamulele.

Traditional leaders and the Vuwani Task Team insist they were not consulted about the move because the invitation to MDB public hearing did not specify that their villages would be affected by the new demarcation.

For a week protesters barricaded roads, stoned passing cars, battled riot police and allegedly set alight the schools with home made petrol bombs under cover of darkness.

On Friday police were searching for petrol bombs and any other objects that could be used to vandalise an destroy property.

This after ministers deployed by President Jacob Zuma to the volatile Vuwani warned on Thursday that people who were “facilitating and distributing petrol” to protesters would be arrested.

Zuma sent deputy minister of police, Maggie Sotyu, Minister of Cooperative Governance David van Rooyen and State Security Minister David Mahlobo to the troubled Vuwani area to assess the damages and bring stability in the violence torn district.

Mahlobo told a media briefing on Thursday that a specialised police unit would be deployed to work with intelligence service to investigate those behind the violence and destruction of property that accompanied the protest.

Meetings involving traditional leaders and VhaVenda King Tonny Mphephu Ramabulana and the ministers were expected take place.

Although calm was restored, the heavy police presence belied the tense situation. Apart from police roadblocks the streets were largely deserted.

A desk left in the middle of the road was testimony to the destruction visited upon schools in the area. The desk was apparently taken from the nearby Vhafamadi Secondary School and dumped in the street at Mashau village near Vuwani.

The arrested suspects were expected to appear in court on Monday on charges of arson and public violence.