TSIANDA – The situation was still tense at Tsianda Village at the time of going to press, following the disappearance of a local resident, Mr Daniel Mashau (28). He disappeared on September 20.

According to the spokesperson of the police in the Far North Capt Ailwei Mushavhanamadi, Mashau' s family members reported him as missing to the Levubu Police Station shortly after his disappearance. With the help from other community members, the family members searched everywhere for Mashau but in vain. After realising that the police are not providing them with any help or answer, the angry residents argued that the police are not serious about the matter.

The people then decided to embark on actions "that would draw the attention of the police". The situation took an ugly dimension on Monday night, when hundreds of youths decided to barricade the main road (Louis Trichardt- Sibasa road) with various objects. Not only did traffic came to a standstill for several hours, but a number of innocent motorists were reportedly assaulted with various objects, while several vehicles were also stoned.

The situation was calmed by the arrival of the police a few hours thereafter. This was followed by a crucial meeting between the police and the residents, at the local tribal office premises on Tuesday morning. Other stakeholders, including the members of the civic association, members of the community policing forum and traditional leaders were also present at the meeting.

During the meeting, the people reportedly showed their vote of no confidence in the police. The meeting resolved that a delegation led by the police should go to the Vuwani magistrate's office to seek for a search warrant that would allow them to search every household in the area.

Their request for a search warrant was, according to Mushavhanamadi, refused. After receiving information that their request for a search warrant was turned down, the residents apparently lost their cool and took to the streets later that afternoon. This resulted in the police arresting 31 people. According to Mushavhanamadi, the suspects were all charged with public violence and were still to appear in court at the time of going to press. According to a statement from the police, the man at the centre of the chaos, Daniel Mashau, is a psychiatric patient.