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Niehaus’ case postponed to November

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The Estcourt Magistrate’s Court in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands has postponed the case against suspended Umkhontho we Sizwe Military Veterans Association spokesperson, Carl Niehaus, to November 22nd.

The staunch supporter of former President Jacob Zuma was arrested last month for breaking lockdown regulations when he and a group of other people gathered outside the Estcourt Correctional Services Facility, where Zuma was serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court.

Niehaus arrived at court accompanied by a small group of his supporters. He was arrested while conducting a live interview with SABC News outside the Estcourt Correctional Services Facility a few hours after former President Jacob Zuma had handed himself over to authorities.

Niehaus was given until August 6th to pay a fine of R3 000 or to appear in court. Speaking outside court following his appearance, he says he believes that the charges against him have no basis.

“I have fought for freedom of speech and for the civil rights that we have in South Africa. I have spent 10 years in prison for those rights. I will not allow those rights to be eroded. It is my right and it is the right of every South African who wants to express their concern about the continuing political imprisonment of [former] president Jacob Zuma to do so.”

Calls for peaceful demonstrations

Meanwhile, Nkosentsha Shezi of the Radical Economic Transformation Forces has called on people to organise peaceful demonstrations, demanding the immediate release from prison of the former president.

“There are two messages that you must be ready to die for if needs be. If the men in uniform decide to turn against us, we shall never surrender. We shall stand fast and we shall stand firm. We say we are carrying these two messages. The first message is that release [former] president Jacob Zuma immediately. The second is that we want our land back immediately.”

Niehaus has also vowed to fight his suspension from the ANC. He was suspended for the utterances he made at Nkandla a few days before the former president handed himself over to police.

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