The Durban Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday granted #FeesMustFall activist Bonginkosi Khanyile R5 000 bail with strict conditions, including reporting at the Hillbrow police station twice a week, between 6 am and 6 pm – in a move one of his relatives said was reminiscent of apartheid-era rulings.
Khanyile, 31, was arrested last month in Johannesburg and charged for his role in the widespread riots, which swept across KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng, in July. The protests began as what appeared to be a campaign in opposition to the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma, but soon spiralled into wide-scale looting, violence and destruction of property.
Khanyile, who faces a string of charges – including two counts of holding an illegal gathering, and incitement to commit public violence – has been among those at the forefront, calling for the immediate release of the former head of state.
We are celebrating that our brother is a free man, though we are not happy with some of the conditions that were imposed on him because they remind us of the times of apartheid, where exactly what was happening then, is happening here – where the intention is to cut away his freedom of speech.
“When they say he cannot use his Twitter account, it means he cannot voice and express his views on matters of this country, so we are saying we are not happy with the conditions imposed on him, but we welcome the decision that he is granted bail, we are very happy,” Nduli said.
Khathini said that the court’s decision had brought her untold joy and had re-instilled her faith in the country’s justice system because the court had done the right thing by releasing him on bail, as there was no reason not to release him.
“He is not a criminal, he’s never run away or even skipped the country and, whenever he’s due to appear before a court, he appears and never runs away. I am also glad that Msholozi (former president Jacob Zuma) has also been released because that’s what he (Khanyile) wanted,” Khathini said.
In other news – Zari hits back at Norma Mngoma – I will expose you
Socialite Zarinah Hassan, aka “Zari the Boss Lady”, has hit back at Norma Mngoma’s comment and version of events surrounding their friendship fallout.
This after Norma responded to a question about why the pair are no longer friends on Lasizwe’s YouTube show Drink Or Tell The Truth. Learn more
