Farmer charged with terrorism in Senekal after court riot
- The farmer who led the protests against the Senekal Magistrate's Court has been charged with attempted murder and contravening the Terrorism Act
- The court has ordered that the 51-year-old's identity remain a secret until the bail hearing is completed
- The protestors stormed the courthouse where two men were being charged with the murder of a 21-year-old farm manager
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed!
A farmer who allegedly was in charge of a group of protestors who stormed a courthouse has been charged with terrorism along with other charges.
The 51-year-old was arrested when a group of mostly white farmers stormed a courthouse where proceedings were being carried outa against two suspects who were accused of murdering 22-year-old farm manager according to Jacaranda FM.
"Yes, one of the charges is terrorism," National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) provincial spokesman Pheladi Shuping confirmed to AFP in a text message.
Source: Facebook
He has been charged with attempted murder and contravening the Terrorism Act. The court has ordered that his identity must not be disclosed until his bail application is completed according to News24.
Briefly.co.za had earlier reported on the incident which took place on Tuesday morning. Protestors from all over the country met outside of the Senekal Magistrate's Court on Tuesday morning.
The demonstrations descended into chaos with protestors attempting to reach the suspects in the court's holding cells, prompting clashes with police.
Earlier, Briefly.co.za reported that the establishment of rural safety command centres has long been requested by farming communities in an attempt to curb crime.
A string of farm murders recently, in addition to the highly publicised unrest in Senekal, saw top police officials meeting with farmers.
The sector has been urging the government to protect citizens who work on farms and it seems to have gained them this agreement.
In other news, Police Minister Bheki Cele says he wants to see more arrests after the protests in Senekal against farm murders turned violent.
In a statement released by the SA Police Service, Cele's spokesperson Lirandzu Themba commented that:
“The minister of police wants more arrests saying that yes, I welcome this 52-year old farmer that has been nabbed, but also he didn’t act alone; there were more people. There is plenty of footage of people storming the court building, plenty of footage of people trying to access the Inyala that was parked outside the court building, and we are of the view that more people have a case to answer to."
Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
Source: Briefly News
