FeesMustFall leader Bonginkosi Khanyile has been sentenced to 3 years correctional supervision in the Durban Regional Court following violent student protests in 2016.
He pleaded guilty on charges of public violence, failing to obey police instructions and the possession of a dangerous weapon. The sentence means that Khanyile will be under house arrest.
He will be allowed to attend classes at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he will be doing his masters degree in public administration this year.
The court ordered that he perform three hours of community service per month during this period and that he undergo programmes on life skills and to deal with aggression. He was also sentenced to a fine of R5000 or 3 years in prison, which is wholly suspended for 5 years on condition that he not be convicted of public violence in this time.
#FeesMustFall leader Bonginkosi Khanyile sentenced to 3 years correctional supervision in Dbn Regional Court on charges of public violence, posession of dangerous weapon during 2016 protests #sabcnews
— Dries Liebenberg (@DriesLiebenberg) January 28, 2019
Earlier, senior state prosecutor ,Roshila Benimadho, has told the court that students armed themselves with slingshots before the march in 2016 when Khanyile used it to shoot at police officers.
She asked the court to send a strong message that the constitution does not protect violence during acts of civil disobedience.