Tear gas and handcuffs at Mantashe’s meeting near Xolobeni village
Human rights attorney Richard Spoor arrested and charged with ‘incitement’ after altercation with minister
Human rights attorney Richard Spoor was arrested after a heated fracas with mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe on the Wild Coast which reportedly ended with tear gas fired against anti-mining protesters on Sunday. Spoor‚ who represents members of the Xolobeni community who are opposing an Australian-backed venture to mine ilmenite and other heavy minerals on community land south of the Wild Coast Sun Casino‚ was arrested on Sunday. A video clip from the scene showed Spoor‚ shortly before his arrest‚ engaged in a heated discussion with Mantashe outside a large marquee erected during the minister’s weekend tour to KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape to address community tensions over several coal and dune mining ventures. "Don’t call me a liar please! I am trying to help you. If you work with us we can work together to solve problems‚" Spoor told Mantashe in the clip. Mantashe responded: "Okay. But you are disrupting my meeting."
Attorney Johan Lorenzon told TimesLIVE that...
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