Durban: 30 May 2023 – Seventeen people who were arrested for public violence at Van Reenen will make their first court appearance at the Ladysmith Magistrate’s Court this morning, Tuesday, 30 May 2023. The suspects, among them five females and twelve males, were among the community members who blockaded the N3 highway on both bounds at the Van Reenen’s Pass on Sunday morning.
Police had arrested a man suspected of committing a murder in the area earlier on the day. Angry community members stormed to the local police station and demanded that the suspect should be handed to them, possibly for the reasons of mob justice. 0After the crowd was dispersed form the police station, they blockaded the N3 freeway with burning tyres, stones and other rubble, causing a traffic jam before police successfully cleared the road later on.
The suspects, whose ages range between 20 and 47 years old, have been charged with public violence.