The Matsafeni informal settlement woke up on Tuesday morning, August 29, to the smoke from burning tyres a group of men used to blockade the entry roads during a protest.
Motorists and commuters were prevented to enter or exit the settlement, until the police arrived on the scene to disperse the protesters.
Some of them threw rocks and glass bottles on the road, but claimed it was not a service delivery protest.
However, a vocal community member who said he supported of the protest, Kevin Sibuyi, said the protest is linked to the case of malicious damage to property that has been opened against some Mataffin community members following the burning and cutting down of pecan nut trees on a property next to the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency offices in July.
The property, Erf 4, belongs to the Matsafeni Trust, which opened the case. This led to several arrests.
ALSO READ: Protesters close roads in Matsafeni
“There is no reason for the Trust to have our brothers arrested for wanting land. We just want a place to live, but they do not want us there. This land is ours and we will get it. Even if the police come and disperse us, the protest will continue until the minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development and the City of Mbombela mayor address us,” Sibuyi said.
The three members of the community who were arrested in July and are out on bail, were set to appear in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court again on August 29. No more information about the appearance was available by the time of publishing.
ALSO READ: IN PHOTOS: Police disperse protesters in Matsafeni to reopen roads
This is a developing story. Mpumalanga News will update its readers when more details are made available.
-
-
-
-
