Four white men arrested in Bloemfontein where the ANC conference is under way. Two are linked to the newly established Federal Freedom Party, which wants self-rule for the 'Boer people'

There was a huge police and media presence at the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday ahead of the appearance of four people arrested on terrorism charges.

Earlier police asked everybody to leave court 19 so they could be searched before re-entering the room.

Magistrate Piet Bester then asked everybody to again leave the court saying the case he suspected everybody was there for would only start later in the day. Bester said he only wanted people involved in cases on the roll in his court. The possibility that the matter would be moved to another court so the court’s normal activities would not be disrupted was also mentioned.

Free State police spokesman Brigadier Billy Jones said the four men, aged between 40 and 50, would appear on a charge of treason and two other related charges of terrorism.

Reuters said the arrests were over a suspected plot to attack the ANC conference, being attended by President Jacob Zuma and scores of top government officials.

Prosecutors said one of the men “wanted to target the ANC elective conference” currently under way in the city, Reuters reported.

The newly established Federal Freedom Party (FFP) said that at least two of the people arrested were believed to be members of their party.

National secretary Francois Cloete described the FFP as a “party that promotes self-determination of the Afrikaner/Boer people in a confederal political model”.

Jones said more arrests were imminent.