Seventeen people arrested in a protest in Ginsberg made a brief appearance in the King William’s Town Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
They were not asked to plead and their case was postponed to September 11.
The group, mostly women, were charged with public disorder during a chaotic protest which rendered their township inaccessible on Tuesday.
The protest was over lack of service delivery. The 17 were arrested after police tried to negotiate with them to remove burning tyres and rocks blocking roads to the township.
More than 600 protesters, including schoolchildren, wanted BCM mayor Alfred Mtsi to address them personally on various service delivery issues outstanding since 1994.
They had vowed to continue with their protest action all week but community activist Nhlanhla Mosele said yesterday that Mtsi had met with them on Tuesday evening, so they had called off the rest of the protest.
On Tuesday, after pleas to remove the barricades were ignored, police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades.
The 17 were arrested as hundreds of others fled.
Some were dragged kicking and screaming to waiting police vans, which whisked them to the King Williams Town police station where they were charged.
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Khaya Tonjeni said the group was released on warning on Tuesday after residents threatened to march to the police station to demand their release. “We decided to release them the same day in order to avoid more instability,” he said.
BCM spokesman Keith Ngesi yesterday said Mtsi had collected information on the issues raised and would meet with relevant BCM departments “to consolidate a proper response which will be shared with the community within seven days”.
Mosele said that should BCM come up with unsatisfactory plans in seven days, “we won’t shy away from returning to the streets and rendering this place inaccessible again”.
Mosele said the community was also concerned about criminal elements that had hijacked their action by robbing local shops during the protest.
Tonjeni confirmed that two cases of robbery and burglary were being investigated.
“The first case was a business robbery where an Ethiopian national’s shop was robbed of goods and cash with the total value of R5800.
“The second case is a business burglary at Forbes Grant High School where a microwave was stolen,” said Tonjeni. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Floating body found in river after delivery protest
The body of a young woman was found floating in the Buffalo River near Ginsberg just hours after a chaotic service delivery protest in that township on Tuesday morning.
The woman’s body, with no visible wounds, was discovered by locals just after 8am, according to provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Khaya Tonjeni.
The unidentified body – believed to be of a woman aged between 15 and 22 – was found two hours after hundreds of residents assembled on a bridge over the river with a blockade of burning objects in protest against lack of service delivery.
Although the body was discovered a few metres from the protest area, police and community leaders have ruled out any link between the dead woman and the protest.
Police had to use rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the defiant crowd of more than 600 residents, including school children.
They later arrested 17 people, mostly women, for public disorder.
Tonjeni said police were conducting a post mortem to determine the exact cause of her death. An inquest docket was opened by police in King Williams Town.
“At the moment we are treating the two incidents – the alleged drowning and the protest – as separate and independent of each other.
“Any links between the two, if any, would be determined after our investigations have been conducted. At this moment, no links are evident,” Tonjeni said.
Community activist Nhlanhla Mosele also ruled out any link between the two incidents.
Mosele said yesterday that underwear believed to belong to the woman was also found floating near the body, which led to them to suspect she could have been raped before being thrown into the river.
“We suspect that this could be a criminal act as we are sure that the alleged drowning did not take place during our protest,” said Mosele, adding that their protest was just metres away from where the body was found and if she had been attacked or drowned at that time, they would have heard her screaming. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
17 in court after Ginsberg protest
They were not asked to plead and their case was postponed to September 11.
The group, mostly women, were charged with public disorder during a chaotic protest which rendered their township inaccessible on Tuesday.
The protest was over lack of service delivery. The 17 were arrested after police tried to negotiate with them to remove burning tyres and rocks blocking roads to the township.
More than 600 protesters, including schoolchildren, wanted BCM mayor Alfred Mtsi to address them personally on various service delivery issues outstanding since 1994.
They had vowed to continue with their protest action all week but community activist Nhlanhla Mosele said yesterday that Mtsi had met with them on Tuesday evening, so they had called off the rest of the protest.
On Tuesday, after pleas to remove the barricades were ignored, police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades.
The 17 were arrested as hundreds of others fled.
Some were dragged kicking and screaming to waiting police vans, which whisked them to the King Williams Town police station where they were charged.
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Khaya Tonjeni said the group was released on warning on Tuesday after residents threatened to march to the police station to demand their release. “We decided to release them the same day in order to avoid more instability,” he said.
BCM spokesman Keith Ngesi yesterday said Mtsi had collected information on the issues raised and would meet with relevant BCM departments “to consolidate a proper response which will be shared with the community within seven days”.
Mosele said that should BCM come up with unsatisfactory plans in seven days, “we won’t shy away from returning to the streets and rendering this place inaccessible again”.
Mosele said the community was also concerned about criminal elements that had hijacked their action by robbing local shops during the protest.
Tonjeni confirmed that two cases of robbery and burglary were being investigated.
“The first case was a business robbery where an Ethiopian national’s shop was robbed of goods and cash with the total value of R5800.
“The second case is a business burglary at Forbes Grant High School where a microwave was stolen,” said Tonjeni. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Floating body found in river after delivery protest
The body of a young woman was found floating in the Buffalo River near Ginsberg just hours after a chaotic service delivery protest in that township on Tuesday morning.
The woman’s body, with no visible wounds, was discovered by locals just after 8am, according to provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Khaya Tonjeni.
The unidentified body – believed to be of a woman aged between 15 and 22 – was found two hours after hundreds of residents assembled on a bridge over the river with a blockade of burning objects in protest against lack of service delivery.
Although the body was discovered a few metres from the protest area, police and community leaders have ruled out any link between the dead woman and the protest.
Police had to use rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the defiant crowd of more than 600 residents, including school children.
They later arrested 17 people, mostly women, for public disorder.
Tonjeni said police were conducting a post mortem to determine the exact cause of her death. An inquest docket was opened by police in King Williams Town.
“At the moment we are treating the two incidents – the alleged drowning and the protest – as separate and independent of each other.
“Any links between the two, if any, would be determined after our investigations have been conducted. At this moment, no links are evident,” Tonjeni said.
Community activist Nhlanhla Mosele also ruled out any link between the two incidents.
Mosele said yesterday that underwear believed to belong to the woman was also found floating near the body, which led to them to suspect she could have been raped before being thrown into the river.
“We suspect that this could be a criminal act as we are sure that the alleged drowning did not take place during our protest,” said Mosele, adding that their protest was just metres away from where the body was found and if she had been attacked or drowned at that time, they would have heard her screaming. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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