Protesters Set South African Farm Ablaze In “Act Of Retribution” After Shooting

Image Credit: SAPS

The farming district of eShowe in KwaZulu-Natal is currently plagued by violent protests that have led to the torching of a farm.

TimesLIVE reports that the protest broke out after a man who was fishing on a farm dam was shot dead. According to reports, the residents believe he was shot by security guards.

Police spokesperson Captain Mbongeni Mdlalose confirmed that the 30-year-old man had been on the farm property during the incident.

“There is an allegation that the man was fishing in a dam on one of the farms in the area when he was confronted by officials from a security company who patrol the area. There was a shooting and the man was killed‚” he said.

Following the incident, angry residents from the local community gathered and blocked two roads in an act of retribution.

“They had blocked the road completely and we had to call in our members from the public order policing unit. We managed to disperse them and they left the area‚” Mdlalose said.

“The story got out that a farmer had shot the man so they went to a farm outside eShowe and torched a sugarcane plantation and a farm house. Even now the farm house is burning‚” he told TimesLIVE.

Police also confirmed that one of the security guards has been detained and will appear in the eShowe Magistrate’s court on Friday.

With initial reports falsely reporting that a boy was killed, it is not yet fully clear how that affected the community’s mobilisation.

With the South African farming community facing concerns over land expropriation, social media has been abuzz with alleged pictures from the protest. As usual, some of the language used was particularly appalling.