Fees Must Fall activist Kanya Cekeshe’s legal representatives say they are fighting the justice system to clear his name.
Cekeshe was released from Leeuwkop Prison, in Johannesburg, on Tuesday morning after receiving a special remission of sentence from President Cyril Ramaphosa.
He had spent two years behind bars for public violence and malicious damage to property after pleading guilty to setting alight a police van during a Fees Must Fall protest in 2016.
His lawyer Wikus Steyl says Cekeshe was wrongly advised by his previous legal team.
Steyl also believes that Cekeshe’s rights were violated.
“We are going with full steam with the petition against his conviction and the sentence. We are still fighting to clear Khanya’s name and fight to get him justice. Justice system failed him. That can take six to 12 months.”
“We are saying he did not receive proper legal advice and his Constitutional right was violated. He was actually sidelined by his lawyer. The magistrate made numerous errors on his guilty plea and they did not follow correct procedure and unfairly treated and failed by the legal system,” Steyl adds.
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The group that’s been lobbying for Cekeshe’s release since 2017 agrees with Steyn.
“The remission because this is a parole process it’s not going to stop the petition that is before the South Gauteng High Court. We still have to prove his innocence and we still have to ensure his criminal record is expunged. So, it’s still going to be a long journey of litigation to ensure that everything else is done in court so that he’s at home as a free man, completely free without any legal processes following him around,” says the Free Kanya Movement’s Nkanyiso Ngqulunga.
Watch related video below:
BREAKING: 09:20 AM
[PIC] #FeesMustFall activist #KanyaCekeshe is home. This pic was taken a few moments ago.
He tells me he is doing fine. He is all smiles with his dog, Rafael.
Cekeshe has a cloth in his hand. He tells me he was cleaning his room.No interviews. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/5maoYqSZBK
— Chriselda ‘Babes WeNdaba’ Lewis ™️ (@Chriseldalewis) December 24, 2019
