DA lays criminal charges against EFF for Vodacom stores vandalism

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo has today added additional criminal charges against the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) at the Polokwane police station.

This comes after Vodacom stores at Mall of the North in Polokwane and Makhado in Limpopo were vandalised following comments made by Corruption Watch chairperson Mavuso Msimang at the 2018 Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards last week.

Videos and pictures were posted on social media which show a crowd of people, allegedly EFF members, singing and dancing after vandalising stores.

DA Limpopo premier Candidate Jacques Smalle laid the charges at the Polokwane police station.

The charges are of malicious damage to property, which is estimated to have amounted to R500,000.

Smalle said: “We also added [an] accessory to a crime charge for the owner of the vehicle used in this violent attack.

“This deplorable act is another example of EFF tactics to resort to violence when they do not get their way, in this case, it led to the damage of property and could have led to the injury of innocent bystanders or unassuming shoppers.”

Smalle added that the EFF “have continuously proven to be violent and destructive constitutional delinquents that have abused the right to freedom of expression”.

The DA premier candidate said the vandalism of the Vodacom store was an attack on the country’s democratic rights “and is meant to intimidate anyone who dares stand up to the bullying of the EFF”.

“Despite the South African Police Service (SAPS) having the car used to transport the hooligans in custody and the details of the car owner, no arrests have been made. We demand that arrests be made in this case,” Smalle said.

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