BUGERSFORT – SOME 70 rioters were due to appear before the Burgersfort magistrate’s court on Wednesday morning after they were arrested for public violence, arson and malicious damage to property in Ga-Phasha and Mampuru villages on Monday.
Provincial police spokesperson, Col Ronél Otto said Ga-Phasha and Mampuru villagers were protesting to demand a tarred road to the village when they stared looting from shops, blocking the road with burning tyres, and setting two trucks and a minibus taxi alight.
She said the public order police were forced to use rubber bullets to disperse the crowd and 70 people were arrested.
“We don’t have a problem with peaceful protests but the police cannot sit back and look on when protesters are looting and damaging property,” Otto explained to CV.
