The High Court in Bloemfontein has granted Senekal businessman André Pienaar bail of R15 000.
Fifty-one-year-old Pienaar is facing charges of attempted murder, malicious damage to property and public violence.
Pienaar allegedly incited violence at the Senekal Magistrate’s Court earlier this month.
This happened during the court appearance of two murder accused, Sekwetje Mahlamba and Sekola Matlaletsa, who allegedly murdered 21-year-old farm manager, Brendin Horner, at a farm near Paul Roux in the Free State.
Angry farmers stormed the court and a police van was set alight
Pienaar escalated the matter to the High Court after his bail application was dismissed by the Senekal Magistrate’s Court.
Presiding magistrate Buti Mlangeni ruled that Pienaar was likely to intefere with the witnesses and that his release would further cause public outcry.
But Pienaar’s legal team has convinced the High Court that the accused was not a flight risk and that he should be presumed innocent, as explained in the video below.
Tensions as EFF, farmers protest outside court
Thousands of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) supporters gathered outside the Senekal Magistrate’s Court on Friday during the bail application of Horner’s murder suspects.
CIC @Julius_S_Malema addressing fighters outside the Magistrate Court in Senekal.
Unlike those who negotiated with the racist whites in CODESA, we will not allow the white terrorists in Senekal to show their white supremacist tendencies when we are here. #EFFinSenekal pic.twitter.com/Mjh0i4mpmF
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) October 16, 2020
Farmers threatened to cause chaos if the two murder accused were to be granted bail:
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