Two individuals from the Ndambe Area have been apprehended on charges of public violence, accused of orchestrating a mob of over 100 people to disrupt operations at a farm managed by Schweppes in the Shobi Block area of Beitbridge West.
Vigilance Rich Baloyi (35) and King Welly Nguluvhe (25) were brought before a Beitbridge Resident Magistrate on Monday, where they faced charges related to public violence. They were not required to enter a plea at that time.
According to the prosecution led by Mr. Ronald Mugwagwa, the incident occurred last Wednesday around 4 pm when Baloyi and Nguluvhe, along with accomplices who remain at large, gathered around 20 individuals into their Toyota Hiace truck at Toporo Business Centre. Three other drivers, also in collusion, transported additional people in their vehicles.
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The group, now totaling around 100 people, proceeded to the Shobi Block subdivision 1 farm, which had been allocated to Beitbridge Juicing Schweppes Sunrise by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development in 2019.
Upon arrival, Baloyi, Nguluvhe, and their cohorts, along with the mob, forcefully invaded the farm, accusing four farm employees of occupying grazing lands illegally. They vandalized tents and cattle pens, even setting fire to a portion of the infrastructure.
Additionally, they forcibly drove away the four employees and 122 head of cattle approximately 5 kilometers away, instructing them not to return to the Beitbridge Juicing plant.