Spioenkop Road closed due to violent protest action
Plantations surrounding the occupied farmland were set alight, tyres were burnt on the road and stones thrown at vehicles.
The Spioenkop Road (turnoff from R538 between White River and KMIA) is currently closed due to hostile protest action.
At noon today (Friday August 30) Jo Pelser from AfriForum White River reported from the scene that protesters were burning tyres on the road and throwing stones at vehicles.
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More than a hundred squatters occupied farmland in the area recently. An eviction order was obtained and handed to representatives of the trespassers by the sheriff of the court this morning, after which the violence erupted.
By noon only one SAPS vehicle was on the scene, with too few resources to properly defuse the situation. Reinforcements from the national Public Order Policing (POP) were awaited at the time.
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Plantations surrounding the farmland were also set alight and Lefpa and Working on Fire were trying to extinguish these fires with the help of helicopters.
Residents of the farm were evacuated and taken to safety by AfriForum.
