Police in Limpopo have arrested what they believe to be two of the ringleaders behind violent protests that have wracked the Zaaiplaas area over the past few days‚ resulting in school buildings and a police van being torched.
The suspects‚ aged 24 and 29‚ were arrested at Keerom village on Saturday night in an operation led by the SAPS Groblersdal Cluster Commander‚ Brigadier Mafete Mogwaneng‚ in the Zaaiplaas policing area outside Groblersdal.
Their arrests bring to seven the total number of suspects arrested since the violence began‚ but police say more arrests are expected.
The operation followed a meeting between the provincial police commissioner‚ Lieutenant-General Nneke Ledwaba‚ and various stakeholders at which an agreement was reached to end the violent protests.
Police said the seven suspects would appear in the Groblersdal Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of arson‚ malicious damage to property and assault on police.
“This intervention follows the torching of a police van‚ Administration blocks of Leriane Secondary School in Holneck village and Rehlahlilwe Primary School in Keerom and the injuring of one police officer in the Zaaiplaas area in [the] recent past.
“The whole impulse erupted after a group of community members from Zaaiplaas‚ started to be violent following their protest actions which started a week ago by barricading the R579 road‚” police said.
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