A six member committee was elected by community members addressed by North West Premier Mme Thandi Modise during her mediation meeting in Tlokweng village on Tuesday following the deaths of two youths, a female aged 25 and a male whose age has not been established, who were shot during protests over ritual murders.
After paying a compassionate visit to convey condolences of the provincial government to the Moloi family, Premier Thandi Modise mediated a truce with the crowd of about 300 villagers who had gathered at the Moloi homestead which ended with the election of the committee. Premier Modise appealed to the community to remove barricades to allow learners to go back to school and workers to go back to work.
Premier Modise committed to take up community complaints against local police with Minister of Policing, Nathi Mthethwa with recommendation for an independent investigating team to be appointed to investigate ritual murder cases that have occurred in the area for the past four years.
In response to a demand that the owner of the tavern whose house and car were burnt by the angry on Monday be handed over to the community, the Premier said that government cannot be accessories to mob justice.
Modise appealed to the community to allow the law to take its course and assured them that Independent Complaints Directorate(ICD) is investigating the shooting incident/s in which three youths were allegedly shot during skirmishes with police during which a police vehicle was set alight.
She reported that firearms from police who were at the scene were seized by the ICD for ballistic tests to determine who had fired the fatal shots.
Police are also investigating cases of looting of Pakistani owned spaza shops in the area including one of arson related to the torching of a police vehicle.
The Premier’s high-powered delegation to the Moloi homestead included ANC Provincial Chairperson Supra Mahumapelo, Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison MEC Desbo Mohono, Local Government and Traditional Affairs MEC Paul Sebegoe, the newly elected Executive Mayor for Bojanala Platinum District and Regional Chairperson, Louis Diremelo.
The unrest in the area was sparked by the suspected ritual murder of Thabiso Moloi whose decomposed body was discovered in the bush after he had gone missing for over a month.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Tel: 018 391 0420
Cell: 083 629 1987
E-mail: LKgwele@nwpg.gov.za
