MACHADODORP - Police have arrested 10 suspects, following the spate of violent protests in the town last week.
Angry community members blockaded the entrances to the local police station on Tuesday, September 11, and proceeded to loot and torch a local shop. They also barricaded the main road and torched three trucks. The provincial traffic offices were also set alight.

The violence started when two men from a local security company, Bruce Botha (29) and Wayne Swart (20), allegedly assaulted a community member on Monday, September 10. The incident was captured on video and immediately went viral on social media.

It seems that the altercation started when the alleged victim had a fight with an employee of a shop in the town. The shop was torched and the owner alerted his security company, resulting in the alleged assault. Botha and Swart were arrested on Tuesday, September 11 and released on R500 bail each.

The first six suspects, Pricilla Maelane (26), Donald Mafika (26), John Thela (52), Khomotso Chiloane (33), Sipho Bholosha (18) and Khanyi Ceza (42), appeared in the Belfast Magistrate’s Court yesterday. They were granted R300 bail each and ordered to reappear on October 3. The remaining four suspects will also appear in the same court soon, pending further investigation.

Submitted by: Col Mtsholi Bhembe
Editor: Anchen Coetzee
Subeditor: Lynette Brink