**More than 30 South Africans have been arrested after a violent protest near a 2010 World Cup stadium in Mpumalanga Province, police say.**The protesters are demanding that the government honour its promise to build a new school if they made way for the construction of the Mbombela staduim.
Police told the BBC that the situation was “tense but under control”.
There has been a renewed spate of protests over the lack of basic services in recent weeks.
About 100 protesters gathered near the stadium in the provincial capital Nelspruit.
“They become unruly and started throwing stones at police who used rubber bullets to disperse them”
Superintendent Malcolm Makomene
Police spokesman
The demonstrators from Mathafeni village said the schools in the area are in a bad condition and accused the government of reneging on its promise to build a new school if they agreed to move.
The unrest started on Monday with students taking to the streets and blockading the entrance to the stadium, forcing workers to down tools, reports say.
Later in the week the demonstration become violent leading to three police officers being injured, two of whom seriously.
Police say the protests were initially staged by students but later escalated into a community affair.
“They become unruly and started throwing stones at police who used rubber bullets to disperse them,” Mpumalanga police spokesperson Superintendent Malcolm Makomene told the BBC.
One civilian was injured during the demonstrations while trying to dodge rubber bullets, police said.
President’s promise
Police said although the demonstrators protested in the vicinity of the stadium there were no attempts to enter the ground.
“There have been no attempts to go into the stadium or destroy the property around it but police are monitoring the situation,” the police spokesperson said.
Work has now resumed at the 30,000 capacity Mbombela Stadium, which is to host four first-round matches.
Meanwhile, police say they are keeping a close eye on service delivery protests in parts of Mpumalanga and Gauteng Provinces.
Residents in those communities say they have been waiting for basic service such as water and electricity for the past 15 years.
When President Jacob Zuma was inaugurated in May he promised to speed up delivery of services and improve the lives of the poor but the country’s first recession in 17 years has reduced his scope for action.