Ga-Rankuwa -
The appearance of a group of Lonmin mineworkers was postponed in the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate's Court on Tuesday because of a power cut.
The court was hearing argument by prosecutor Nigel Carpenter, who had requested a seven-day postponement of their bail hearing.
He said evidence gathered by the State so far was not sufficient to warrant debating the merits and demerits of releasing the detained miners.
Magistrate Esau Bodigelo adjourned proceedings, without saying when they would resume.
The National Prosecuting Authority said the matter would continue in the same court on Wednesday. NPA North West spokesman Frank Lesenyego said the unforeseen cut was the reason for the postponement.
Earlier, when the power went off, police officers and security guards stood around the miners, watching them closely.
Moments later, the batch of 28 men were given bottled water, pap and slices of bread in the courtroom. After they ate, police escorted the miners out of the court.
A batch of 28 men, part of the 260 arrested, appeared in court on Tuesday.
On Monday, the court heard that because all the accused could not appear at the same time, a representative had been selected from each police station where they were being held. These men would convey what transpired to their colleagues in detention.
They were arrested after the shootings and protests near Lonmin's Marikana mine in the North West on August 16 which left 34 people dead.
The miners face charges including public violence and murder.
They left the court premises in several trucks before 4pm on Tuesday, escorted by the police’s tactical response teams. - Sapa