NELSPRUIT – The Provincial Commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma, has strongly condemned a violent behaviour displayed during an unlawful protests at Masoyi where a bakery truck as well as a bus were torched, meanwhile windows of another bus were damaged by unruly individuals. The said protests began in the early hours of yesterday, Monday 29 March 2021. The General has since assembled a task team of investigators to probe these lawlessness with a view to bring those responsible to account.
According to reports, in the early hours of yesterday, police were notified of a protest action that was carried out by some members of the community at Masoyi. The Public Order Policing members were since deployed to deal with the prevailing and unfortunate situation. Whilst in the area, police received information about protesters who barricaded the road at Nkanini in Masoyi where the bakery truck was reportedly stopped by these individuals who then instructed its driver to alight from the truck. It is said that they then looted about 12 000 loaves of bread from the said truck before burning it.
Later in the day, a bus driver also became under attack at Mahushu, where protestors are said to have barricaded the road with different objects and ordered him to get off the bus then torched it. Another bus was also not spared as its windows were smashed. The drivers were however not harmed during the incidents.
“When people decide to protest due to challenges that they are faced with in their communities, whether as a result of poor service delivery or any other matter, they should know that their actions must be conducted within the ambit of the law. The community must also not allow a situation where some unscrupulous individuals with ulterior criminal motives hijack their course, take advantage of community challenges and use such opportunity to steal and destroy property. Our country is governed by formidable laws and people cannot do as they wish,” said General Zuma.
Police continue to monitor the situation and that arrests are eminent.
Source: South African Police Service