AfriForum and SAPS chase off EFF land grabbers in Witrivier

The SAPS in partnership with AfriForum’s Witrivier neighbourhood watch halted a land grab when they removed EFF-supporters who were occupying municipal land.

This follows after Collin Sedibe, the EFF-leader in Mpumalanga, incited the party’s supporters on his Facebook-page to occupy municipal land on Sunday, 29 January 2017.

One of Sedibe’s posts reads: “The EFF will be providing you with free stands!”

60 policemen, including members of the SAPS’s riot-unit, were summoned to the area and dispersed the crowd with teargas while the neighbourhood watch provided coverage from the air. Sedibe and another EFF member were arrested on scene and transported to the police station in Nelspruit. The Mbombela Municipality opened a criminal case of trespassing and incitement to public violence at the station.

“I would like to thank the SAPS for their outstanding service, as well as the neighbourhood watch and those involved for the assistance that they provided,” says Dian Pretorius, Chairperson of AfriForum’s neighbourhood watch in Witrivier.

The AfriForum branch in Witrivier is planning an urgent meeting with the SAPS to discuss the incident and is exploring the possibility of increasing neighbourhood watches in the Witrivier-area to protect the community against land grabs.