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Alleged unrest instigator Ngizwe Mchunu expected to apply for bail

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Former radio DJ, Ngizwe Mchunu, is expected to apply for bail at the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

On Monday last week, Mchunu handed himself over to police after a warrant for his arrest was issued for allegedly instigating violence during the unrest and looting that rocked KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng.

Mchunu is just one of four alleged instigators of the violence who are currently facing prosecution.

Case against Ngizwe Mchunu postponed to 28 July for bail application:

Two other suspects, Clarance Tabane and Sibusiso Mavuso, have since been released on bail.

However, the state opposed Bruce Nimmerhoudt’s bail application, saying it won’t be in the interest of justice for him to be released.

Judgement in his bail application will be handed down on Friday.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it will also be opposing Mchunu’s bail application, as they consider him a flight risk.

“We have so called instigators about four of them. Sibusiso Mavuso, Bruce Niemerhoudt, Clarence Tabane and Ngizwe Mchunu, facing charges to commit public violence. Some of them have been granted bail and others haven’t because bail was opposed and judgment is pending in regards to one, so in total we have four instigators,” explains NPA spokesperson, Mthunzi Mhaga.

Mhaga says the NPA is confident that they have strong cases against all the suspects.

“The minute prosecutors charge a person, that decision is informed be evidence that has been placed before them by law enforcement. So I believe we have evidence to prosecute all these cases” Mhaga adds.

Since the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma, two of his children Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and Duduzane Zuma were vocal on social media, calling on his supporters to protest for his release.

While the Democratic Alliance( DA) has laid charges against them, Mhaga says the NPA currently doesn’t have any evidence before them to prosecute.

“The law enforcement will have to respond to such questions. We are prosecutors that are only dealing with matters that are brought to us by law enforcement. At this stage the evidence has not been brought to us to press charges against him or decide to prosecute,” says the NPA spokesperson.

Violence researcher, Mary de Haas, says it’s clear that there is political involvement with regards to whose being arrested for instigating the unrest.

“I mean if the Zuma children haven’t been charged then it signifies some sort of political interference because there incitement was very blatant. If you threaten to kill the police when they are there carrying out instructions of the authority of democratic government and if you threaten to kill police you are committing a crime. And it is all over social media that they were doing that and they haven’t been touched,” adds De Haas.

The Patriotic Alliance (PA) is also adamant that these arrests are politically-motivated.

The party’s deputy president Kenny Kunene cites Niemmerhoudt’s arrest as an example, saying it is aimed at tarnishing his name because he is a mayoral candidate for the party.

“That voice note that has been making the rounds is clearly not Bruce’s voice. We know that voices can be manipulated these days so this was a well-orchestrated political move to discredit Bruce as the mayoral candidate of the PA in the West Rand because of the good work he is doing there but also to discredit PA. Remember that Patriotic Alliance is the only party that instructed its members especially in the wards were it is having councillors to mobilise the communities to protect infrastructure, so obviously the ANC is not happy because Patriotic Alliance is getting all sorts of praises from all corners” adds Kunene.

Alleged instigators of violence in Gauteng to apply for bail:

 

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