The Nelspruit Magistrate’s court in Mpumalanga has heard that the 55-year-old man accused of setting alight the African National Congress’s provincial offices in Mbombela is a former member of Umkhonto Wesizwe and the National Defence Force.
During his bail, Sydney Khumalo told the state that he is not a flight risk though an affidavit that was read by his lawyer.
Khumalo’s case has been postponed to next Tuesday, for the continuation of the bail application.
His lawyer, Vusi Sekgodi says his client believes that the case is politically motivated.
“The issue as I have stated in court that my instruction are, this is a political motivated case. Since my client is a former member of uMkhonto we Sizwe and my institutions as you have heard in the application that the ANC or the ruling government or whatever structure, he not a politician and that my instructions are, they don’t want to give him what he fought for outside the country and after 1994 in the republic. So for that reason they are trying to put him behind bars to silence him.”
