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- Justice Minister Ronald Lamola condemned an incident in which farmers broke into Senekal Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
- Chaos erupted in court after the appearance of two men accused of murdering the farm manager Brendin Horner.
- Shots were fired, a police vehicle overturned and set fire and court assets were damaged.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola condemned “in the strongest possible terms the anarchic violence” of protesters at Senekal Magistrates Court in the Free State on Tuesday.
SEE | Police van burned as armed farmers raid holding cells for the murder of accused Brendin Horner
His spokesman, Chrispin Phiri, said preliminary reports indicated that shots were fired, a police vehicle overturned and set on fire, the court was vandalized and court property damaged. This followed the appearance of two men on charges related to the murder of farm manager Brendin Horner, 22, in Paul Roux, outside Bethlehem, on Friday.
A police van set on fire outside the courthouse.
News24 previously reported that about 100 people stormed Senekal Magistrates Court after the appearance of Sekwetje Isaiah Mahlamba, 32, and Sekola Piet Matlaletsa, 44, charged with Horner’s murder.
Horner was killed and tied, with a rope around his neck, to a post. He had serious injuries to his head and face. A knife was found near the scene.
During the altercation in court on Tuesday shots were fired, although both police and protesters deny that they fired. Court property was also damaged and a police vehicle overturned and caught fire.
Assault on the rule of law
“Disturbing scenes of members of the public breaking into court and damaging property have no place in a free and democratic South Africa. Beyond the obvious trail of destruction of public property, [Tuesday’s] The actions are an inexcusable assault on the rule of law and the criminal justice system. We want to urge community members, however aggrieved they may be, to allow the court and the justice system to run its course, “Phiri said.
Lamola added: “We urge law enforcement authorities to ensure that the rule of law is upheld and an important part of that is ensuring that those responsible for undermining the administration of justice and destroying public property are brought to justice.
“The right to carry out or participate in protest actions is a constitutional right; however, no right is unlimited and this right carries with it the responsibility to exercise the right to protest lawfully. Protesters may not damage public or private property or act in a way that infringes on the rights or safety of others.
“In their attempt to break into court, the actions of the protesters in Senekal [on Tuesday] they were an attempt to undermine the rule of law and damage the very justice system that should protect society.
READ ALSO | Brendin Horner Murder: Two Men Arrested After Free State Farm Manager Killed, Tied To Post
“If these attacks on the rule of law are allowed to go unchecked, our society will run the risk of falling into anarchy. It is in everyone’s interest to ensure that respect for the rule of law is upheld and upheld. problems, we just can’t allow people to take the law into their own hands, “Lamola said.
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