Brendin Horner: No one has the right to take the law into their own hands, say organizations after judicial chaos

• Several groups have condemned the violent protest outside the Senekal Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
• The attacks on the farms needed to be addressed, but the groups also called for arrests to be made after the arson and court vandalism.
• Police Minister Bheki Cele questioned why people were enraged at the police, when they had achieved two arrests in the murder case on a farm.

Political parties, unions and organizations have condemned the attacks on farmers, but also called on the police to take away angry farmers who apparently wanted to take justice into their own hands in Senekal Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Chaos erupted after the appearance of Sekwetje Isaiah Mahlamba, 32, and Sekola Piet Matlaletse, 44.

The two men are charged with killing 22-year-old farm manager Brendin Horner, whose body was found Friday tied to a post in an open field in Paul Roux, Free State.

The farmers were furious after Mahlamba and Matlaletsa were taken into custody.

READ | Police van set on fire as storm of armed farmers holding cells for Brendin Horner murder is charged

At least two shots were fired, a police vehicle overturned and set on fire, and court property was damaged by angry Free State farmers, who broke into holding cells, the police spokesman said. from Free State, Brigadier Motantsi Makhele.

Some of the farmers were armed, according to Makhele.

A journalist and photographer for The Citizen were also reportedly assaulted and threatened by the group of farmers, the publication reported.

In a statement Tuesday night, Police Minister Bheki Cele condemned the “gruesome murder of this young man in Paul Roux,” but added that no one has the right to take the law into their own hands.

He asked why the farmers turned their anger on the police, when they had arrested suspects and were in court.

IFP deputy and spokesman Mkhuleko Hlengwa said that nothing justified the destruction of state resources. He tweeted:

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) said it was disturbed by the violence.

“The issue of agricultural slaughter and any other slaughter deserves equal attention and is one of the issues included in the most serious category of offenses by the South African Police Service (SAPS). It is for these reasons that SAPS recently adopted a security strategy to curb crime in farming communities, “said Popcru spokesman Richard Mamabolo.

READ | Bheki Cele condemns ‘anarchy’ outside Senekal court

“Although the police are to be commended for making quick arrests, these rebellious protesters chose to attack them and destroy state vehicles,” Mamabolo said.

Right

“All South Africans have the inalienable right to protest, but this cannot be tolerable and carried out in a destructive and degrading manner. The rules of this country must be applied impartially to all, regardless of anyone’s economic position,” Mamabolo said .

A large group protests the murder of Brendin Horner.

Rev. Louw

In a statement, EFF spokesman Vuyani Pambo called for the immediate arrest of those responsible for the damage, saying that the police had shown “cowardice” in their response to the protest.

The president of the National Civic Organization of Gauteng SA, Chris Malematja, said that those who preyed on vulnerable farmers should be arrested immediately. However, he condemned the violence that occurred on Tuesday.

“We also call [Bheki] Cele to open the criminal case against all those who damaged properties and those perpetrators are severely punished because what they have done (damage the properties) amounts to a threat to the security of the State ”, said Malematja.

Cele called on the police to act quickly and arrest those responsible for the fire and vandalism.