Two arrested for #BlackMonday protest
Two Black Monday protesters have been charged in connection with their participation in Monday's campaign, police have confirmed.
The men were charged under the Gatherings Act and arrested in Limpopo.
Provincial police spokesperson Motlafelo Mojapelo says the pair are believed to have organised an illegal march in Bela-Bela and Westernburg outside Polokwane.
"They have been charged and warned to appear in court," he says.
One of the suspects is set to appear in the Bela-Bela Magistrate's Court on Thursday while the other would appear in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Friday, Mojapelo confirms.
The pair are not in custody.
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Leader of the Freedom Front Plus, Dr Pieter Groenewald, says the legal action taken is "shocking and unacceptable".
He says one of the men is a 69-year-old farmer from Modimolle.
“No-one, who took part in the countrywide protest marches, blocked the roads with burning tyres or rocks and no-one vandalised property. With this attitude, the government is waving a red flag in front of all the peace-loving citizens of South Africa and the legal action is a slap in the face of the agricultural community in particular.
“The FF Plus was under the impression that the Minister approved of the protest action seeing as he was aware of it beforehand and he did not warn against it. Clearly the legal action taken against the farmers is a result of political pressure on the Minister," Groenewald says.
He says the party supports the plight of farmer.
“The FF Plus wholeheartedly supports the farmers in this matter and will do everything in its power on the political front to put pressure on the government to keep them from proceeding with the action against the farmers."