MACHADODORP – Four people were arrested on Monday for public violence after protests flared up again in this usually sleepy town. This is after six people were apprehended on the same charges during protests last week.
According to police spokesman Col Mtsholi Bhembe, the six appeared in court yesterday and are aged between 18 and 52. The protests erupted after a video was released of Bruce Botha and Wayne Swart assaulting Godfrey Masuka last week.
Botha and Swart were arrested. They appeared in the Belfast Magistrate’s Court on Friday where they were granted bail of R500 each. This sent the community into a rage and they proceeded to burn a truck on the N4. They also damaged two police vehicles as well as the court’s palisades.
ALSO READ: The real story behind the alleged racist attacks in Machadodorp
Police spokesman Brig Leonard Hlati said in a statement on Friday that SAPS urge members of the public to stop using violence when they have a dissatisfaction of any nature or to settle scores.
“We understand the community is angry that the suspects have been granted bail. However, the fact that a suspect has been granted bail does not mean there is no case nor implies that the suspect is not guilty,” Hlati said.
Lowvelder previously reported that Botha and Swart were called by Ridwaan Isnail after one of his employees were allegedly assaulted by Masuku.
According to Isnail, this was part of a vendetta by Masuku’s employer, Mpumelelo Ndlovu, who he had evicted from a property earlier this year. Isnail allegedly received death threats and after his shop was looted and burned down on Tuesday he fled to an undisclosed location.
“The protests have been calmed by the police on Monday morning. Police are monitoring the situation and to my knowledge, the roads have been opened,” Bhembe said.
READ ALSO: UPDATE: Police contain protests in Machadodorp
