Seven arrested for Ladysmith public violence
Weeks of protests halted schooling, business and movement in and out of the town.
Police and public safety clear roads in and around Ladysmith after intense protest action earlier this month. Image: Ladysmith Gazette
Seven people were arrested on Friday for public violence amid protests in Ladysmith.
Weeks of protests halted schooling, business and movement in and out of the town. On Wednesday, several vehicles belonging to the Department of Social Development were torched at the uThukela district offices in Ladysmith, as part of the protest action.
Alfred Duma Municipality Mayor Vincent Madlala has since volunteered to take leave for two months, in a bid to end the violence, News24 previously reported.
On Friday, police officers deployed to monitor the volatile situation, were on patrol on the R103 road when they received a tip off about a group of men busy barricading the N11 road. On arrival, they spotted a parked minibus where the seven suspects were setting up barricades on the road.
“A search was then conducted and a total of six old tyres, petrol and an axe was found inside the suspects’ vehicle. A total of seven suspects aged between 24 and 47 were placed under arrest for public violence at Elandslaagte SAPS,” confirmed provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele.
The suspects will also be profiled to establish if they are linked to the burning of vehicles in during the protests.
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