Rural areas: FREE • Platteland: GRATIS
Fear lessl y the tr uth 31 Januarie 2014
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• Relela war zone •
Calm for now community flared up and the man’s business, as well as his house and a car, was set alight. “The insinuations are that he wanted to hide the children to use them for muti purposes. We have requested a judicial inquest into the death of the child.” She said the police were deployed to the area to monitor the situation.
Police Commissioner visit
The explosive situation in Relela, Bolobedu South, was calm at the time of going to press, but remains tense after three children went missing in the neighbouring village of Kubyana. However, local residents fear new unrest over the weekend. The children were later found in the boot of the car of a local businessman. A three year-old boy died, while the other two are in a critical condition. According to Col Ronel Otto, provincial spokesperson for the Police in Limpopo, the children were playing in a car parked next to the road in Kubyana. “They locked themselves in and when the owner of the car came home, he found the children in the car. He called the police who rescued the children. They are said to have been badly dehydrated. Otto said renewed anger in the
National Police Commissioner, Genl Riah Phiyega, visited the hot spot on Wednesday afternoon and warned that police would ensure stability, law and order, following a week of violent protests that had so far claimed the lives of three people. Phiyega addressed the media during a visit to the violence-torn village and warned that the community should refrain from criminal activities and allow police investigations to continue without disturbance. Her visit followed after violent protests started last weekend, after the mutilated body of a 20-year-old woman, Ms Kgomotso Raolane (20), of Relela, had been found in bushes in the area.
Triggered violence
Her hands were cut off and her house keys and cell phone were left inside her empty abdomen. Allegedly she disappeared after she had gone to watch soccer with friends. Two men apparently offered to walk her home. Her death triggered the violence which resulted in the death of a 15-year-old boy, Tshepo Baloyi, who was killed when police fired live ammunition to disperse of the angry crowd of about 1 500 residents who had gone to Relela bl 16 Satellite Police Station
Lekker skolenuus!
to demand an immediate arrest of the suspects. Houses of families of the people who were suspects were torched. Four men were taken in for questioning, but were released because there was no evidence to link them to the murder. On Tuesday, two more people were killed when police opened fire on about 3 000 protesters who surrounded the police station and threatened to burn it down. They also destroyed the window panes and damaged some nineteen police vehicles with stones and petrol bombs. “Police retaliated and two members of the community were killed. Eleven police officers were injured and taken to hospital, where they were treated and discharged,” Phiyega said.
National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega is seen here addressing a restless crowd. On the far left is Limpopo’s SAPS Commissioner Fanie Masemola and on the right, shading his eyes, is Mopani District Municipality mayor Joshua Matlou.
Hawks to investigate
According to her, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) is currently investigating the police’s conduct. Phiyega was accompanied by the MEC for Safety, Security and Liaison, Ms Joyce Mashamba, Mopani District Municipality mayor Joshua Matlou, Greater Tzaneen Municipality mayor Dikeledi Mmetle and senior government officials. She added that she would instruct members of the Hawks to investigate a possibility that certain elements mobilize, instigate and incite violence among the youth of Relela for personal political gain. Violence in the area resulted in the closure of 32 schools since Tuesday: twelve secondary and twenty primary. Meanwhile a community leader, Mr Tonic Sehlwana, said that there would be no funerals for anyone who was killed during the violent attacks, until the amputated hands of Raolane had been found. — Michael Sakuneka michael@bulletin.us.com
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