Land activist banned from Stellenbosch
LAND activist Zola Ndalasi has been banned from the Greater Stellenbosch area as a condition of his bail after he was charged with public violence and intimidation.
Ndalasi was arrested with other Azania and Kayamandi community leaders on January 10. Ndalasi’s lawyer, Daniel Zantsi, said his client was arrested for questioning the digging of a trench between shacks on the perimeter of the controversial Azania informal settlement in Stellenbosch.
“Ndalasi and his colleagues did not destroy anything and the digger was being guarded by public order police… If the matter goes to trial, I will submit that my client and the other community leaders just went to ask about the digger and found himself arrested.”
Zantsi intends to apply to get the banning order quashed so that Ndalasi can return to his family in Kayamandi.
Ndalasi is currently in Delft.
Another Azania activist, Simphiwe Citwa, who was also arrested, said, “We had seen the digger and the members of the police and law enforcement who came with it and as community leaders we wanted to know what was going on. When we went to speak to the officer from Public Order Policing, a Mr Isaacs, we asked who had sent them and he said the municipality.
“I asked for the number of the person in charge, so that we could speak to them, but the guy got so angry and started shouting at us. I called Ndalasi to come to speak to the official. A few minutes later Ndalasi was arrested.”
Asked about the reasons for the trench digging, Stellenbosch municipality spokesperson Stuart Grobbelaar said, “The digging that took place forms part of our plan to safeguard the community and our assets for any future development of the area.”
SAPS spokesperson Andre Traut said, “Eight men and a woman were arrested on January 10 in Kayamandi on charges of public violence on a construction site in the area.
“They made a court appearance in Stellenbosch the next day and the case was postponed until February 19.”