Police station ‘meeting’ sees KPA leaders arrested, released
‘Shutdown still on’, after three spend weekend in custody
Komani Progress Action (KPA) members stormed inside the Queenstown police station last Friday after their leaders, chairperson Solomzi Nkwentsha, convenor Mncedisi Mbengo and secretary Axolile Masiza were arrested.
The members had joined to sing in a peaceful protest at the Hexagon that morning with plans to later stage a shutdown of the town.
Masiza said he and the other two KPA leaders, who were at the Hexagon, were then asked by SAPS members who were present at the scene to accompany them to the police station for a meeting, not knowing they were going to be locked up.
The movement has called on minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) Thembi Nkadimeng to dissolve the council of Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality (EMLM) and told provincial health department MEC Nomakhosazana Meth to remove Sindiswa Tywabi from her position as the district director of health.
Disgruntled KPA members stormed inside the police station after hearing their leaders had been detained, shouting at the police to arrest them too or release their leaders.
Police officers managed to move the crowd away from the cell gates.
The KPA members then stood outside the police station singing, with some swearing at the police while others threw water at the officers who tried to calm the crowd down.
The KPA members eventually calmed down and returned to their original meeting spot at the hexagon.
In a statement, the SAPS confirmed the arrest of three community members.
SAPS Captain Namhla Mdleleni said: “During the early hours of today, police were monitoring a shut down and a group of community members were gathered in town and blocking the road burning tyres in the street.
“Three community members were
arrested and charged for incitement of public violence and contravention of a court order.”
When The Rep reporter was at the Hexagon before 8am, there were no tyres being burnt in the street. The KPA has said they did not burn any tyres.
The shutdown was supported by two political parties, the EFF and the
new MK Party. MK district convenor Xolela Njadu said: “We are here as MK leaders today for their cause. I have returned from the police station.
“After I heard about their arrest, I went to the police station to be arrested alongside KPA members because we are here to support them.
“KPA leaders, members and the community must never back down from what they are doing because Komani has never been like this before.
“People are not voting to see leaders progressing in their personal lives.
“Enoch Mgijima residents must ensure that corrupt leaders are shown the door.”
He said they would not tolerate a municipality where leaders did not take service delivery for the people seriously, but only focused on filling their pockets with municipal money.
The KPA leaders spent the weekend inside the police station cells and appeared in court on Monday.
Their supporters, who sang outside the court, were asked to do so on the other side of the street.
Masiza told The Rep: “We were targeted on Friday. Someone tipped them that should they arrest Mbengo alone and you don’t arrest the two, there will be an unrest. Police have shown us that they work for politicians.
“We were told by our lawyer that there is no case against us. We were only arrested as a torture which is why our lawyer told us there’s no case as there is no evidence against us.”
He said the shutdown would continue at a date to be decided.
“We want Nkadimeng to come and dissolve the municipality following the report of the auditor general that this is the worst-run municipality.
“We want Meth to fire Tywabi.” EFF EMLM convener, Mzimkhulu Ndevu said: “We were part of the shutdown that was headed by KPA to support them in fighting for the municipality to be dissolved. The municipality was supposed to be dissolved a long time ago. We are still here to offer our support going forward until the municipality is dissolved.”