Cape Town - Faeces-throwing ringleader Andile Lili, who was arrested with other protesters in Woodstock on Monday, is implicated in two other cases, it has been revealed in court.
A total of 183 people appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. Of them, 176 people who were released on warnings after their arrests on Monday were split into groups of about 40 so that they could be admitted to court 16 one group at a time.
Their cases were postponed to August 2 for further investigation.
They were removed from a train and arrested in Woodstock on Monday with bags full of raw faeces.
The group was on its way to dump the waste outside the provincial legislature.
On Wednesday, they were released under two conditions: they are not allowed to convene or partake in any unauthorised gathering and they are to refrain from damaging public property or threatening a member of the public.
Thereafter, Lili and six others - Yandani Kulati, Thembela Mbanjwa, Xolisa Mgwekazi, Pamela Mnyakaza, Yanga Mlinganwa and Mziwethemba Gulwa - appeared together before magistrate Chumani Giyose.
Four of them were granted bail of R1 000 each and released under the same conditions.
The prosecutor asked that Lili, Kulati and Mbanjwa be denied bail. The court granted this request.
The prosecutor asked Giyose for seven days to allow the investigating officer to determine the nature of their previous convictions as well as pending warrants against the three accused.
The prosecutor said the investigating officer was suffering from exhaustion after processing such a big group.
Lili has two pending cases at the Harare police station which he’s been implicated in but not charged for, the prosecutor revealed. The two others also have pending cases.
Defence lawyer Duncan Korabie said his three clients were singled out because they were “political activists” who were living in disadvantaged communities and who “put up a fight” for communities.
“The State believes they are ringleaders and has put them up here (in court) as a show for the media and the public,” Korabie said.
He said Lili was not a flight risk as he is a “well-known politician” who would be recognised wherever he went.
Giyose ruled that the bail application be heard on Thursday.
“In the interest of justice I am not convinced that a further detention is warranted,” Giyose said.
He also found that the charge sheets of Lili and his two co-accused were “blank”, without enough information on why and what they were being held for.
During the hearing, hundreds gathered outside court, toyi-toying and singing struggle songs. Some carried placards written “Dear President, can you take Helen Zille back to German? She is too racist.”
While some of the protesters told the Cape Argus that they would not be taking part in any protests, others vowed to continue with the “faeces war” until the city did away with portaloos and the bucket system.
While Lili and others were appearing, another “faeces war” ringleader, Loyiso Nkohla, handed himself in.
Police spokesman Captain FC Van Wyk said Nkohla handed himself in and was detained in Cape Town Central Station on a case of public violence.
“No warrant of arrest was issued beforehand,” Van Wyk said.
Nkohla, an ANC proportional representational councillor and youth league member, will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Lili and Nkohla have been at the forefront in the “faeces war” against Premier Helen Zille.
They led a group of protesters last Monday to the legislature, where they spilled porta-loo tanks full of raw sewage outside Zille’s office. A day later, they were among the group that flung faeces at Zille’s convoy as it left an official event in Khayelitsha.
On Monday, Lili and about 180 others were removed from a train and arrested in Woodstock. They were on their way to dump human waste outside the legislature.
As some Lili supporters made their way to the Cape Town station after the court appearance on Wednesday, one of them allegedly stole a packet of chips from a Cameroonian stall owner in Strand Street, resulting in a scuffle.
Cape Argus photographer Thomas Holder, who was on the scene, said: “One of the protesters stole a packet of chips or something from the stalls. One stall owner saw this, approached the man and a scuffle ensued. A few protesters then joined in and started hitting the stall owner. The police arrived and difused the situation.”
No one was arrested.
nontando.mposo@inl.co.za
Cape Argus