/ 22 April 2005

Former Beaufort West mayor arrested

Beaufort West municipal manager Truman Prince was released on R200 bail on Thursday night after being arrested at the local police station following ''outrageous behaviour''. Police spokesperson Captain Eddie Cronje said Prince appeared in the Beaufort West Magistrate's Court. He will reappear on May 11.

Beaufort West municipal manager Truman Prince was released on R200 bail on Thursday night after being arrested at the local police station following ”outrageous behaviour”, police reported.

Police spokesperson Captain Eddie Cronje said Prince appeared in the Beaufort West Magistrate’s Court. He will reappear on May 11.

”Earlier, he started screaming and swearing at police and the SABC’s Special Assignment crew inside the Beaufort West police station, and was arrested,” said Cronje.

Prince, a former mayor of Beaufort-West, was recently shown in a television documentary on child prostitution. The SABC’s Special Assignment programme flighted the documentary in which Prince was shown talking to young girls through his car window at night.

He was suspended by the municipality and then reinstated at the end of last month.

Cronje said shortly before Thursday’s incident, the Special Assignment crew went into the police station, complaining they were being threatened by ”a few people”.

Cronje said he did not know what the complaint was about.

”Meanwhile, during the incident caused by Prince, the Special Assignment crew’s Kombi was broken into, and a camera was stolen.”

A 42-year-old person was arrested and the camera was recovered. – Sapa