Chaotic scenes erupted outside the Senekal Magistrates Court on Tuesday following a clash between police and farmers in the area.
A police vehicle set alight by angry farmers outside the Senekal Magistrate’s Court on 6 October 2020. Picture: @crimeairnetwork/Twitter
JOHANNESBURG – Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola on Wednesday condemned the violence by protesting farmers in the Free State and criticised calls of mob justice by the community.
Chaotic scenes erupted outside the Senekal Magistrates Court on Tuesday following a clash between police and farmers in the area.
SENEKAL COURT pic.twitter.com/dnIVD7CurA
— REZA (@crimeairnetwork) October 6, 2020
“We urge the law enforcement authorities to ensure that the rule of law is maintained and an important part of that is to ensure that those responsible for undermining the administration of justice and the destruction of public property are brought to book,” Lamola said in a statement.
The minister said the community undermined the rule of law.
“If such attacks against the rule of law are allowed to go unchecked, our society will run the risk of descending into anarchy. It is in the interest of everyone to ensure that respect for the rule of law is defended and upheld.
“However strongly communities may feel about issues, we simply cannot allow individuals to take the law into their own hands,” he said.
Lamola said during the protest gunshots were fired, a police vehicle was torched, and court property was vandalised.
“Preliminary reports indicate that gunshots were fired, a police vehicle was overturned and set alight, the court vandalised and court property damaged, following the appearance of two accused on charges relating to the murder of a farm manager,” the statement read.
Protesters stormed the holding cells of two suspects linked to the murder of farm manager Brendin Horne r in Senekal.They wanted police to hand over the two suspects arrested for his murder.
Horner’s body was found tied to a pole with a rope around his neck last week.
Lamola called for the arrest of those responsible for the arson and vandalism of state property during Tuesday’s violent protest.
The minister said the chaotic scenes were an inexcusable assault of the criminal justice system.
“The disturbing scenes of members of the public storming a court and damaging property have no place in a free and democratic South Africa,” his spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said.
“We want to urge members of the community however aggrieved they might be, to allow the court and the justice system to run their course.”
