Only 74 of the 100 civilians detained at Embalenhle on Monday following a protest action against service delivery appeared in court on Wednesday.
“After interviewing them, 29 of them were released because they were not directly connected to the matter, but were arrested randomly with the rest.
The remaining 71, including nine females and 62 males were all charged with public violence and made a brief court appearance before the Evander Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday,” explained Capt Magonseni Nkosi
Nkosi said 61 of the suspects were released on warning and would appear again in court on November 15, while 10 of the suspects remained in custody for verification of their addresses. The 10 will appear again before the same magistrate’s court on October 20.
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Nkosi added that police arrested nine more suspects on Wednesday after being found in possession of suspected stolen property, including groceries and two fridges stolen from the Somalian shops during the protest.
“They face charges of possession of suspected stolen property. Two of them face additional charges of possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition,’’ he added.
The protest action started on Sunday morning over the Eskom bulk power interruptions due to the municipal debt to Eskom.
The residents burnt the all municipal offices at the previous municipality at extension 8, 14 and 17.Three waste removal trucks and three shops belonging to Somalian nationals were also burnt down.
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