Four more held over N2 protest

Four people have been arrested, including a ward councillor, in connection with a protest near Thornhill during the Easter weekend.

The protest which started at around 5am on March 29, resulted in a massive traffic backlog on the N2 and R106.

Police spokesman Sergeant Majola Nkohli said the arrests happened on Sunday and yesterday, after the four men were identified from video footage taken during the protest.

The men, aged between 31 and 46, have been charged with tampering with essential infrastructure.

“Two were arrested on Sunday, among them a ward councillor from Loerie, and another two yesterday morning,” Nkohli said.

“The arrest of the four men is the result of the ongoing investigation after a group of about 200 protesters went amok and blocked the N2 near Thornhill with burning tyres, cement blocks and tree branches.”

Nkohli said the four men would appear in the Patensie Magistrate’s Court today.

“This brings the total number of arrests to six. Police can confirm that a few other people are going to be arrested soon.”

Bongani David, 31, and Nkululeko Komna, 43, were arrested on the day of the protest and were later released on R500 bail by the Hankey Magistrate’s Court.

Humansdorp acting cluster commander Colonel Simon Swarts warned that anyone participating in any protest where infrastructure was damaged, such as the burning of tyres on public roads, would face the might of the law.

Swarts said any person found guilty could face a jail term of up to 30 years or a fine up to R100-million.