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73 arrested in Limpopo protest
02/01/2007 18:26 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Limpopo police arrested 73 people who protested outside the Masemola police station, demanding the release of seven men arrested for killing an elderly woman.
Police spokesperson Inspector Maboke Lediga said on Tuesday the seven men had been involved in a mob justice incident which saw the woman being burnt to death.
The community had been outraged over the death of Isaac Ranabe, whom they believed had been killed by the ex-wife he had divorced in 2002.
"Following Ranabe's funeral on Sunday the community marched to Ranabe's ex-wife's house and found her mother there. Believing that the mother was protecting her daughter by not revealing her whereabouts they doused her with petrol and she burnt to death," said Lediga.
"A case of murder was opened and we arrested seven men on Monday whom we believed were directly involved in the woman's death," said Lediga.
On Monday a crowd of around 800 community members marched to the police station to demand the release of the seven men.
"We tried negotiating with them and they would not listen. After we refused to release the seven men the crowd started getting violent and pelted us with stones damaging some of our cars.
"We then arrested 73 people who will appear at the Nebo magistrate's court tomorrow (Wednesday) and be charged with public violence," said Lediga.
The seven men who were arrested for the murder of the woman appeared at the Nebo magistrate's court on Tuesday.
Six of them had their cases postponed to January 9, while the seventh man would appear alone on Friday as he had arrived with his legal representatives, said Lediga.
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