Thamsanqa Mbovane GroundUp
Police are investigating eight criminal cases after a protest in Kirkwood this week ended in chaos and damage to at least two farms.
Eastern Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene issued a stern warning, saying “criminal elements and violent actions will never be tolerated.”
Police said they were investigating eight charges that include malicious damage to property and tampering with infrastructure, after tractors and accommodation believed to house foreign workers, were torched.
Spokesperson, Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana, said the violence occurred on Wednesday after protesting farmworkers handed over a petition to authorities at the Kirkwood Municipal offices.
“It is alleged that after the marchers dispersed, sporadic groups of people started burning tyres in most entrance and exit routes in Kirkwood and in some parts of Addo. It is further alleged that certain farms in Kirkwood also experienced some damage,” he said.
He said the investigation is continuing and arrests in those cases will be effected as investigations progress.
