COLIGNY, April 28 (ANA) – It will take at least two years for business in the small town of Coligny in the North West to recover after violent protests, a businessman said on Friday.
“We are struggling already. It will take a year and a half or two years to recover from this loss,” said businessman Andries Meintjies.
Meintjies, 64, said he was born in Coligny and it was the first time he saw such destruction during a protest.
“I am still shocked. This is the first time this kind of a protest occurred in this town. People used to toyi-toyi peaceful.”
Shops were looted and damaged while three houses and three trucks were torched during a violent protest sparked by the death of a boy believed to be 12-years-old.
The boy was killed on April 20, when he allegedly jumped or fell off a moving bakkie driven by a white farmer. The farmer apparently caught him stealing sunflower from his field near Scotland informal settlement in Tlhabologang township.
He load the boy into the bakkie and the boy allegedly jumped out of the bakkie or fell off when it reduced speed to negotiate a curve on the road. He was badly injures and taken to a clinic where he later died.
Two farmers Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte briefly appeared in court on Friday, in connection with the murder of the boy who is yet to be identified. Their case was postponed to May 9, for formal bail application.
During their brief appearance both men spotting large beards covered their heads with hooded jackets and request the court that the police allow their families to bring them blankets in police holding cell because it was too cold for them.
Magistrate Wikus van Loggerenberg of the Coligny Magistrate’s Court also recused himself from the case, citing the interest of justice and safety and security for himself and his family as a resident of Coligny.
Van Loggerenberg ordered that the photographs of the two murder accused not be published because an identity parade was to be conducted.
A new magistrate would preside when the two bring their bail application on May 9.
Meintjies said he found a mountain of stones in front of his cash loan business on Tuesday.
“It was like a war, there were stones everywhere,” he said standing in front of shop with shut windows.
His shop is direct opposite a bottle store which was looted. Most of the shops on Voortrekker Street had their windows broken and were not opened for business.
“The glass guy will only be here [Coligny] on Tuesday next week, until then we have to wait,” said Meintjies, estimating damaged to his shop to be over R25,000.
“The insurance does not cover for this. You have to carry the cost,” he said.
The situation was calm on Friday afternoon, although the two accused were taken out of the court building using another gate to avoid a raging crowd that had gathered at the gate they were supposed to used out of court.
– African News Agency (ANA)
