More arrests over Moiyabana riots

Bonte Seepi | Thursday January 26, 2017 15:41

The village kgotla, as well as Government and private vehicles were damaged, when villagers went on the rampage, claiming that police and elders in the area were involved in a cover-up of Moiseraele Johanna’s disappearance. Police initially arrested 29 people on Saturday during the violence, while interrogations of those who lived with Johanna were intensifying.

“This is not the first time that someone has gone missing here,” a furious villager told Mmegi.

“Why did the son of a well-known traditional leader recruit Johanna to that farm? Who goes missing on a farm without trace?” Other villagers alleged that the police had a habit of dragging their feet when told of missing people and were hardy to question suspects in such cases.

“There will never be peace in the village until this issue is addressed. It has divided the village and people are coming to contribute money so that we engage an attorney who will represent their children (arrested in the riots).

“Some were not even part of the riot. I don’t think some traditional leaders will be respected again by the people,” the source said.

Serowe police station commander, superintendent Molefhe Molefhe, said Johanna’s family came to report him missing on January 19 after he went with some friends to look for menial jobs in the cattleposts.

“When the matter was reported to us, we learnt that the man had been missing for two days. The police in conjunction with the public started the search for the man the same day. The search continued until late last Saturday when conflicts between the Government officers and the villagers emerged,” Molefhe said.

He added: “The community insisted that the search should continue at night and they ended up attacking the Government officers including the police officers who were helping look for the missing person. They attacked dikgosi and other customary court workers”. He further revealed that in the process of the attack, three police vans and customary court offices were damaged as villagers threw stones at them. Villagers also burnt to ashes a motor vehicle belonging to one headman.

“Two police officers and one headman were also injured in the process of the attack, but fortunately they locked themselves in the offices. They suffered minor injuries for which they were treated at the Sekgoma Memorial Hospital and discharged,” he said.

Molefhe said the mob insisted that one man, whom they referred to as a pastor, should be made to lead the police to where the missing person was. Molefhe said unfortunately the police could not allow the man to do as the community wished due to the fact that he failed to produce the credentials showing that he was a pastor.  The pastor is among those arrested for the violence. Assistant superintendent Bopelo Ntatiwa denied that police take such cases lightly.

“It is not true that our station does not take these issues seriously or acts late when such issues are reported to us. We are questioning people about Johanna, but those being questions are not detained.

“The search for the 36-year-old is still on going,” he said.