MF to give legal assistance to protesters
THE Minority Front (MF) has announced it would be providing legal assistance to some of the individuals who were arrested and charged for public violence on May 28 outside the Chatsworth SAPS.
Thousands of residents demanding justice hours after 9-year-old Sadia Sukhraj was killed in a hijacking while on her way to school with her father Shailendra.
Twenty people were arrested and charged for public violence.
Nineteen were released on R1 000 bail each and one person was released on R500 bail.
They are expected to appear in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court on July 4.
MF councillor, Jonathan Annipen said the party had decided to assist the individuals because the party believed the treatment they received from police after they were put in the holding cells was “inexcusable and a violation of their human dignity”.
“Our leader Shameen Thakur Rajbansi has worked tirelessly in the last week to communicate with our legal team and several other legal advisers to solicit their services.
“Our party believes that these individuals are not the criminals here.
“We want the courts to produce evidence that these protesters damaged police property and harmed police personal as was reported by some police spokespersons.
“We are not disputing that there were those who did cause havoc on the scene on the night in question but can the State unambiguously confirm that it was in fact these individuals who were responsible?
“Mrs Rajbansi is in discussions with the provincial MEC of Community Safety and Liaison Mxolisi Kauda and we want our people to remain calm.
“We will ensure that everything possible is done to get justice for those who stood out against injustice and crime.”
Annipen further alleges that detainees went into the cells “healthy and normal” but returned on Tuesday afternoon “bloodied and bruised, with open skulls and some could hardly walk”.
“This is not something that can go unchallenged. Therefore we have written to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate requesting an investigation into the actions of police.”