Social Justice case postponed

THE case against Social Justice Coalition (SJC) general secretary Axolile Notywala who was arrested during a peaceful protest at the Civic Centre has been postponed to next month for further investigation.

Notywala appeared in the Cape Town Magistrates Court yesterday after he was charged with contravening sections of the controversial Regulation of Gatherings Act (Gatherings Act).

He was part of a group of about 50 peaceful protesters who last Friday gathered at the Civic Centre to highlight the social plight of Cape Town’s poorest residents.

Notywala said when he arrived at court yesterday, officials had spent nearly four hours looking for his docket before proceedings could start. “The case was postponed to March 25 for further investigation.”

Notywala said he was charged with contravening sections 12 (g) and (j) of the gatherings act, which relates to “failure to comply with an order issued;” and “hinders, interferes with, obstructs or resists a member of the police, responsible officer, convener, marshal or other person in the exercise of his powers or the performance of his duties.”

Section 12 1 (a) of the Regulation of Gatherings Act had previously criminalised the failure to give notice to a municipality for a protest of more than 15 people, until last November when the Constitutional Court had decriminalised 15 or more people from protesting without a notice. |