#HistoricWalk group hoping to visit jailed activist

ACTIVISTS who are part of the #HistoricWalk, led by FeesMustFall activist Bonginkosi Khanyile, say they hope to visit their friend and comrade Khaya Cekeshe in prison tomorrow.

The group, who began their walk from KwaZulu-Natal to the Union Buildings on December18, yesterday said they had been unsuccessful in their bid to visit Cekeshe at Leeuwkop Prison, near Joburg, where he is serving part of his eight-year sentence after he allegedly attempted to torch a police van in 2016 during protests by students over unaffordable tertiary fees.

“We were informed that the prison closes at 2pm and we arrived there an hour late. Prison officials have, however, indicated that there might still be a chance for us to see Khaya on News Year’s Day,” said the group’s spokesperson, Xolani Sibanyoni.

Sibanyoni said that while at the prison, they had handed over a memorandum of demands to the prison head in relation to Cekeshe’s detention.

“One of our demands is that we want him, as the head of the prison, to make recommendations to Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha that Khaya be released.

“He is not a hardened criminal and therefore doesn’t deserve to languish in jail for such a long time,” Sibanyoni said.

The past two weeks have been rough on the group. They have been subjected to rain and heatwaves during their walk. Previously, Philani Nduli, who is also part of the group, said they had been shown immense support by people who had made donations ranging from food and money to accommodation. Nduli indicated that their numbers were increasing every day as other young activists joined them.

On Friday, the number of people walking stood at 40 and included two learners waiting for their matric exam results, undergraduates and unemployed youth. The group are in Joburg, and today were due to embark on their last leg of the walk to Pretoria’s Union Buildings, where they planned to hand over a list of grievances to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The grievances contained in the memorandum include a series of challenges faced by youngsters in the country, chief among them being a lack of employment and lack of land. While it was unclear if Ramaphosa would receive the memorandum, Nduli said they would be camping outside the president’s offices until he met them in person, adding that they didn’t want any ministers or government representatives addressing them.