South Africa’s Police Minister Fikile Mbalula’s condemned attacks on media and public at a trial of two white farmers accused of killing a black youth they maintain they caught stealing sunflower seeds.
Mbalula says the country’s police aervice is monitoring the situation in Coligny northwest of Johannesburg.
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There’s been a furious response to Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte being granted bail.
At least three houses in the North West town have been torched by angry community members.
The two men are accused of murdering a 16-year-old boy Motlhomola Moshoeu and then throwing him out of a moving pick up truck.
The accused maintain the youth jumped from the truck while being taken to the police station.
Violent clashes erupted in the remote farming community after the accused were granted bail of 350 euros.
Residents of Coligny took to the streets after the court decision, burning down three white family homes.
A witness has said Mosheu, who died of a broken neck, was deliberately thrown from the truck driven by the accused
At least two photographers were assaulted for taking pictures of the fires.
Magistrate Magaola Foso told a packed court room there’s no link between the witness evidence and accused.
He’s aware of the tensions around the case but will not respond emotionally.