UPDATE
President Ramaphosa has been forced to cut short his investment-hunting visit to London. Violent protests in and around Mahikeng, North West calling for the removal of premier Supra Mahumapelo escalated on Thursday, with police reinforcements called in to quell looting and arson.
eNews reported in Thursday night's bulletin that police had fired tear gas and rubber bullets, and eventually resorted to firing live ammunition over protestors' heads, to prevent further property being destroyed or looted.
A number of social media users shared images and footage of the aftermath of the violence:
Protestors have been blocking roads with rocks and burning tyres and torching vehicles since the demonstrations erupted on Wednesday morning, following the postponement of a vote of no confidence in Mahumapelo in the provincial legislature, and TimesLive reported that at least one person has died in the unrest.
According to Reuters, President Ramaphosa curtailed his British trip a day early to return home immediately, after releasing a statement calling for calm in North West. The ANC announced on Twitter that he will be meeting with leaders in the region at noon on Friday to discuss the way forward.
EARLIER
Residents in Montshiwa, Mahikeng took to the streets on Wednesday, apparently to demand an end to Supra Mahumapelo's tenure as premier of North West.
Tyres and buses were set alight and roads blocked, as protesters complained about the provincial leadership and lack of service delivery.
Police spokesperson lieutenant-colonel Adele Myburgh told News24 that the protests erupted at about 6.15am.
She said fire services extinguished burning vehicles and added that people threw stones and blocked roads.
"Public order policing [units] are on scene, and rubber bullets have been fired. At this stage, it is unclear if there have been arrests. Officers are still at the scene working."
Voices calling for the premier – who is also the provincial ANC chairperson – to step down or be recalled have been growing in the platinum-rich province, and many have expressed concern about levels of corruption.
Last month, the Hawks raided Mahumapelo's office in relation to corruption investigations in North West.
Former North West MEC Collen Maine, who is now the ANC Youth League president, alleged last week that it was Mahumapelo who introduced him to the controversial Gupta family, who have been identified at the centre of the state-capture project and are accused of using their relationship with former president Jacob Zuma to loot the state.
"We are very concerned and disappointed about the situation which has now clearly gotten out of hand," South African National Civic Organisation [Sanco] North West chairperson Paul Sebego told News24.
Sebego said he believed the protests were due to people's frustrations with Mahumapelo's protracted stay and the ANC leadership's failure to intervene.
"The pace of the response from the ANC in dealing with allegations of corruption and maladministration in this province is part of the problem," he said.
Sebego told News24 that there were also levels of uncertainty in the province that have affected residents.
He called for patience, and said residents needed to remember that the public property targeted by protesters would be needed long after frustrations with the premier had been resolved.
ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe confirmed that members of the ANC's national working committee (NWC) would meet with both the provincial executive committee of North West and its caucus in the provincial legislature.
Some MPLs had told News24 they wanted to ask the national leadership to consider recalling Mahumapelo, instead of waiting for a motion of no confidence to be debated in the legislature.
The EFF in North West asked for a motion they tabled against the premier – which was set to be debated on Tuesday – to be postponed, while they waited for a court decision on whether the vote could be held by secret ballot.
"The ANC visit is normal, but once we are there, we cannot ignore the challenges facing the province," said Mabe.
News24; update by HuffPost SA