By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
File:Bonginkosi Khanyile, with raised fist, on the lawns of the Union Buildings, in the hopes of speaking to President Cyril Ramaphosa to ask for a presidential pardon regarding the public violence charges against him. Khanyile is being accompanied by fellow EFF Student Command members and his mother, Phumzile Khatini, who travelled from KwaZulu-Natal to join her son, 21 August 2018, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles.
The case against Bonginkosi Khanyile, who’s accused of inciting violence, has been postponed to Thursday.
The former Fees Must Fall activist was arrested by the Hawks on Friday.
Authorities allege he is one of the instigators of the civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal last month.
The 31-year-old appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday morning.
Spokesperson for the National Prosecution Authority in KZN Natasha Kara said the State plans to oppose his bail due to his previous convictions of public violence and failing to co-operate with the police in 2016.
“Khanyile faces a charge of Incitement to commit public violence as well charges of Contravention of the Disaster Management Act.
“These relate to incidences of looting and public violence that occurred in KwaZulu-Natal in mid-July.”
Khanyile has been remanded in custody.
The Durban University of Technology graduate gained prominence during the violent 2016 Fees Must Fall unrest. He was sentenced in 2019 for various crimes committed during the riots, and eventually ended up being placed under house arrest for three years. He pleaded guilty to charges of public violence, possession of a dangerous weapon — a slingshot — and two counts of failure to comply with police orders.
In a dramatic twist in the Fees Must Fall activist Khanyile’s unrest instigation case, the EFF student command has turned its back on the activist.
On Sunday, EFF SC members in eThekwini vowed to stage a protest outside the court,saying Khanyile was arrested for merely calling for the release of former president Jacob Zuma.
However, a few hours later, the EFF SC instructed its members to withdraw their support for Khanyile.
“No branch of the EFF SC in KwaZulu-Natal and or in the country is permitted to attend… the court appearance in the name of the EFF student command,” EFF SC national spokesperson, Xola Mehlomakhulu, said.
Mehlomakhulu said Khanyile’s participation in the Free Jacob Zuma campaign had not been mandated by the EFF SC.