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Some of the accused in the dock during their appearance at the Malamulele Magistrate's Court.

Alleged Vuwani arsonists in custody

 

Court A at the Malamulele Magistrate's Court was filled to capacity with family members of the accused in the Vuvani arson cases, interested parties (including leaders of the Malamulele protests), and a large contingent of police attending.

Shining in their absence were members of the Pro-Makhado Task Team, who would have come on previous occassions to show solidarity.

This was during the appearance of 11 alleged arsonists and perpetrators of violence in the Vuwani area. At the same time, six others were appearing in Thohoyandou for similar offences that were committed in the area under Thohoyandou's jurisdiction.

The accused at Malamulele did not utter a word during their appearance. Only their legal representative, Mr Vhutshilo Nange, urged the court to release his clients on bail, saying they were facing Schedule One offences, which do not need formal bail applications, and that made them good candidates for bail. The state disagreed, saying that the nature of the offences was severe and that investigators needed more time to do their investigations.

The state said they were facing serious charges, where many schools were burnt down and trucks belonging to the government, worth more than a million rand, and other properties were set alight. Presiding magistrate Goodwin Ntsane said that the state succeeded in advancing reasons for not granting bail. “This case is still very new. It is fresh like blood and it being Schedule One offence should not be an automatic passport to bail. These people did not burn grass, but many schools, more than 20 other properties were torched, trucks and graders belonging to public works were also damaged. Looking at the seriousness of the cases, investigations should also be given a chance,” he said.

He postponed the matter to 16 May 2016 for further investigations. The accused, whose ages range from 20 to 50, will remain in custody. The denial of bail was not well received by family members who were at the court.

Tovhowani Davhana of Vuwani, whose younger brother Rodney was arrested along with three others in connection with the alleged burning of trucks and graders in Vuwani, said it was not fair for the court not to grant them bail after they had spent so many days in custody. “They have been in custody since Wednesday and we do not even know why they were arrested. We had hoped that they would be granted bail today. We are very dissappointed but we will have to wait until their next appearance,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of State Security David Mahlobo has issued a stern warning that all those involved in fanning violence in Vuwani would be arrested. "Whether it be a politician, business people or traditional leaders involved in this violence, we will hunt you down and arrest you," he said. Premier Stan Mathabatha also warned that more arrests were eminent, saying the number of those arrested was not yet even a quarter of those to be arrested.

It was also reported that, in a bid to resolve the ongoing unrest in the Vuwani and Mashau areas, King Toni Mphephu Ramabulana and senior traditional leaders met with Pres Jacob Zuma at Luthuli House on Monday.

After the event, Mphephu said Pres Zuma promised to engage ministers and government officials “to start to roll out awareness campaigns in Vuwani and surrounding areas.” The king added that the campaign would be aimed at educating residents about the benefits of establishing a new municipality. He added that they all wanted that learning and teaching should continue uninterrupted. Mphephu called for calmness and urged the community to fight against criminal elements.

A number of stakeholder meetings and different communities are underway in the trouble-torn area in an attempt to quell the violence and also bring calm to the area.

Thohoyandou cluster spokesperson Maj Mashudu Malelo has urged communities to guard key points such as schools, clinics and other state properties jealously as they are for their own use. "We urge all communities to desist from blockading roads as it delays police from attending incidents where incidents are reported," he said.

Limpopo police spokesperson Lt Col Malesela Ledwaba confirmed that more arrests were imminent.

The arrest of the accused is the sequel to incidents that started a fortnight ago, when residents lost a case they had against the demarcation board to prevent their incorporation into a new municipality for Malamulele. Residents had since decided on a complete shutdown to show their dissatisfaction and went on the rampage, burning more than 20 schools, government vehicles, graders, a satellite police station, tribal offices and other property.

Meanwhile, the Vhembe District, known for consistently producing top-quality results, has been declared a disaster area, following the torching of nearly 50 schools in the area. The highest number of schools that were torched are in the Vuwani area, with others in Malamulele. According to Education Minister Angie Motsheka, it costs about R30 million to build a school, so the total cost of building new schools is estimated to be more than R500 million rand.

Limpopo police spokesperson Lt Col Malesela Ledwaba briefs the media outside the court.

Dissappointed family members leave the Malamulele Magistrate's Court after their relatives were denied bail. 

Suspects are taken to a waiting police van after their appearance at the Malamulele Magistrate's Court.

Security is tight as the alleged arsonists are being footcuffed before being taken to different police stations after their appearance in Malamulele.

 

Date:16 May 2016

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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