Africa-Press – South-Africa. Student leaders arrested in connection with public violence at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) during protests say they “plan to plead not guilty”.
Tholinhlanhla Ngcobo, 23, the chairperson of the Student Representative Council (SRC) for the UKZN Edgewood Campus, and 22-year-old Philasande Mvelase, the SRC’s treasurer for the UKZN Edgewood campus, were each granted R2 000 bail by the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
This is pending the finalisation of the public violence case against them.
The State has accused the pair of inciting students “to engage in unlawful protest action”.
They were arrested late last month.
According to the State, a demonstration on 23 February 2023 saw students “acting violently towards university staff members, campus security and the police”.
“The accused acted in concert by throwing stones at the police and by inciting other students to throw stones at the police,” according to the State’s charge sheet.
Ngcobo and Mvelase are both pursuing a Social Justice in Education postgraduate degree.
During Tuesday’s court session, they both argued it was “in the interest of justice” that they be released on bail, so they could resume focus on their studies.
Ngcobo told the magistrate, Gwendolyn Robinson, the State had no case against him.
He said:
Mvelase told the court he did not participate in a protest on the day he was arrested.
He said: “I was searching for my co-accused on 23 February 2023 and I spotted him at the back of a police van, so I approached him. The police then arrested me as well.”
The State prosecutor, Nomcebo Xulu, did not oppose bail.
UKZN said it did not object to having the students back on campus, pending the finalisation of the case.
Xulu, however, called for a postponement until 21 April for further investigations.
“We are still awaiting a witness statement,” she said.
Robinson granted bail on condition the accused attend campus for lectures only, until their case is finalised.
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