Two arrested for public violence in Mooibank

Two people were recently arrested after an alleged public violence incident. On Wednesday, 1 September, Mooibank Azaniaville residents confronted a man whom they had helped to instal the JoJo water tanks. They claim he had been ignoring them for weeks.

“We assisted in installing the four Jojo tanks that are currently up, in exchange for payment. We agreed that after the first four were done, we would be paid and others would get a chance to work for the next bunch as many of us here are unemployed,” Charles Lekgetho (36), a community leader explained.

Residents say they were surprised to see the next set of JoJo tanks being installed, yet they had not received their payment as discussed. “It’s been weeks and the man we had an agreement with no longer answers our messages or takes our calls.

He went from constantly saying next week to saying nothing at all,” Charles added. “When we saw the man we had an agreement with, we seized the opportunity to confront him,” said Enoch Mbulale, one of the residents.

The residents allegedly closed the gate to prevent him from getting out of the yard and barricaded the gravel road with stones. “Before we knew it, it was chaos. White men, police and the military showed up out of nowhere, claiming we were causing disruption. We had only closed off one side of the road,” Enoch explained.

“No one asked us any questions. We saw police running after us with guns. I was so terrified that I ran into a nearby shop and hid in the deep freeze,” Hlengiwe Norman, one of the women (29) said.

“I am still traumatised. The freezer could have been on but, luckily, the owner had run out of gas.” While trying to escape from the police, Enoch and another unnamed resident were caught and arrested immediately. “They treated us unfairly from the beginning.

They never allowed us to give a statement, nor did they say why we had been arrested. Yet we spent two days in jail,” Enoch said. “They only took our fingerprints and DNA samples and that was it! Whenever we tried to ask questions, the police beat us for allegedly causing trouble.”

Even though Enoch and the other suspect have been released, he still feels he needs to sleep with one eye open. “I don’t feel safe. I never got my shoes back. To make matters worse, at around 02:00 on 7 September, two police officers broke into my place. All they said was, “Is this him?” and they took off. I am scared for my life,” he lamented.

The police spokesperson, Colonel Adele Myburgh, confirmed that two suspects were arrested and charged. “Their warning statements were obtained and they were taken to court on Friday, 3 September 2021, after an alleged public violence incident was reported in Mooibank.

“The case was not placed on the court roll, but the investigation is continuing,” she said. “Police management is committed to professional service delivery. The complainant is requested to contact the Potchefstroom station commander to address his complaints.”