Another suspect arrested over Senekal court riot

Another suspect has been arrested following a protest which turned violent outside the Senekal Magistrate’s Court in Free Sate on Tuesday, 6 October.

According to Police Ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba, the 33-year-old male was charged with attempted murder, public violence, arson and malicious damage to property.

He is due to appear in court on Monday, 19 October, she said in a post on social media.

The first suspect, André Pienaar, a 52-year-old farmer accused of inciting violence, was arrested on Wednesday, 7 October.

He is facing charges of assault, malicious damage to property and public violence. A proposed charge of terrorism was not approved by the NPA, and thus removed from the charge sheet.

He was denied bail after making a brief appearance in the same court on Tuesday morning.

The court found that there was a likelihood of public outcry if Pienaar were released on bail, while he could also possibly interfere with witnesses. The seriousness of the charges against him also justified the restriction of his liberties.

His case has been postponed to November 20 for further investigation.

Farmers descended on the court for the first appearance of two suspects in the death of 22-year-old farm manager Brendin Horner.

They attempted to get to the suspects in the court’s holding cells, leading to clashes with police, resulting in one police van being overturned and set alight.

The violent protests had Police Minister Bheki Cele calling for swift action in response to the matter.

Horner’s body was discovered tied to a pole, with several stab wounds and head injuries earlier this month, which has caused outrage among the farming community as it finds itself under siege by criminal attackers.

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