Following a recent protest in the area, Saps reports allege that the suspect shared a post on social media calling for a warrant officer, stationed at Ermelo to be attacked and killed.
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A 39-year-old male appeared at the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court on Monday, following a social media post that called for a Police Warrant Officer, stationed at Ermelo, to be attacked and killed.
The suspect faces charges of intimidation and assault after the matter was postponed to 3 July 2026 for a formal bail application.
An alleged attack on officer
According to reports from the South African Police Service (Saps), it is alleged that a post was circulated on social media, calling for an attack on the officer.
A case was then registered against the suspect, and an investigation ensued, enabling the police to identify and trace them.
During the arrest, the suspect allegedly resisted and assaulted a police officer.
Investigations
After he was eventually arrested, Saps stated that he is also being investigated for possible involvement in another case of intimidation following a violent protest the police had intervened in, in Ermelo recently.
Saps confirmed that the suspect remains in custody.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident on Sunday, officers in Grootvlei arrested three suspects, aged 30 to 35, for intimidation and theft.
Threats
Saps reports state that the trio allegedly entered a shop owned by a foreign national, and threatened him with violence before taking items from the shop.
The suspects were then traced and arrested shortly afterwards.
Acting Provincial Commissioner of the Saps in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi emphasised that the police will not hesitate to act against all acts of intimidation, attacks on police or any law enforcement officers, as well as criminality targeting businesses.
Jumped from building
Saps in Durban Central have opened an inquest docket for investigation, following an incident where a foreign national was found deceased.
Reports allege that he jumped from the eighth floor of a building on Margaret Mncandi Avenue in Durban on Monday evening.
Preliminary reports indicated that three foreign nationals had broken into a storage facility and were staying there for three days.
The price of escapism
On Monday night, they reportedly heard noises and concluded that they were being targeted.
One of them allegedly jumped from the eighth floor and sustained broken limbs. He later succumbed to injuries and was declared dead on the scene.
Reports note that one of them ran away, while the other remained.
Saps added that the status of the deceased and the other person in the country is being verified.
