JUBILEE SOUTH AFRICA
URGENT MEDIA ALERT
27 MAY 2008, 13:15

11 ACTIVISTS WERE DRAGGED TO POLICE VEHICLES INSIDE PPL MINE WHILE
DISPERSING AFTER PEACEFUL PICKET

Community members dispersing to their vehicles after a peaceful picket
OUTSIDE Anglo Platinum's PPL Mine Property today (27 May) were DRAGGED from their vehicles onto the PPL Property by the SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE
Services. 11 out of the 15 picketers have been arrested and are currently being charged at Mahwelereng Police Station in Mokopane (formerly Potgietersrus), Limpopo. Those arrested not only come from Limpopo, but they also come from North West, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga and were on their way home later today after the peaceful picket. Attempts to get further information from Mahwelereng Police Station have not been successful.

These community members – from four provinces - had been attending a meeting since Sunday where they were discussing how dams, mines, and contaminated water supplies are affecting their communities. Environmental Monitoring Group and the South African Water Caucus in conjunction with Jubilee South Africa facilitate the workshop. Four pickets took place, where communities from other provinces showed support for their brothers and sisters in Limpopo. For that peaceful, lawful support they were hit by violations of their constitutional right to assemble and picket.

The picketers had been standing outside the mine gates and were dispersing back to their vehicles as SAPS arrived. SAPS drove directly into the mine gates, parked their vehicles, and chased the dispersing picketers, dragging some of them out of their vehicles. Observers report that 11 people were dragged from OUTSIDE the gates, back inside the mine gates and arrested for trespassing onto mine property. One person arrested was had not even exited his vehicle during the entire picket.

Jubilee South Africa DEMANDS THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND DROPPING OF ALL CHARGES as the SAPS have CLEARLY VIOLATED THESE ACTIVISTS' RIGHT TO PEACEFULLY PROTEST.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE BEING HELD AT MAHWELERENG POLICE STATION in MOKOPANE. Members of the public and civil society are asked to call the Mahwelareng Police Station at 015 483 5000 to complain about this violation of rights and demand their immediate release.

For more information please contact: George Dor, Jubilee SA General Secretary (currently at Mahwelareng Police Station) 076 460 9620, Brand Nthako 082 628 1362, December Ndlovu 082 700 7137.

NA GA KE A RONA! THE LAND IS OURS!