Police have denied news reports that Minister of Defence Mosiuoa Lekota was prevented from leaving a Khutsong stadium on Friday.
”There was no such thing whatsoever,” said police spokesperson Superintendent Mary Martins-Engelbrecht of reports that Lekota had been unable to leave the stadium for about 20 minutes.
”He was inside the stadium, he spent some time there and then came out again.”
She did confirm that there had been sporadic cases of public violence and stone throwing. She said Lekota had not made a public address.
Five people were arrested for public violence and police used rubber bullets to calm the crowd. One person was hit by a stone and taken to hospital.
Martins-Engelbrecht said there had been an adequate police presence in Khutsong, where residents are attempting to boycott elections in anger over the area’s transfer to the North West province. — Sapa