UPDATE: Glendale Farmers in tears as they watch their sugar cane burn

Farmers bordering the the Glendale Road today watched their sugar cane burn in disbelief. Many were in tears.

Protesters who started rioting early this morning, have wreaked havoc in the Glendale area, a farming area inland of Shakaskraal village.

Fields of sugar cane have been set alight, as well as the historic French Club, now the hunting club.

Ballito 911’s Donovan Chetty said he sent his men to the area at about 8.30am when the protest began. “There were originally about 15 women tearing down branches of trees to block Glendale road,” said Chetty.

“Then more people arrived and they burnt tyres and this afternoon threw burning tyres into the clubhouse. The fire fighters managed to douse the flames but ran out water so they could not put out the sugar cane fire.

“The sugar cane is insured, however farmers will still suffer huge losses and there will be millions of rands of damage to their crops.”

Farmers wives and children have remained in Ballito for safety while their husbands checked on the destruction of their cane fields.

“Police seem powerless to do anything as the protesters are are setting fire to everything,” a local farmer said.

Residents from Glendale are protesting because they are unhappy with their councillor according to Umhlali SAPS spokesman, Vinny Pillay.

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