‘Lux’ Dlamini stays in custody for weekend
Controversial Operation Dudula leader Nhlanhla “Lux” Dlamini will be spending the weekend behinds bars.
Dlamini was taken in for questioning on Thursday after a case was opened against him the previous day on the back of claims that he and other members of Operation Dudula had ransacked Soweto resident Victor Ramerafe’s home during a raid last weekend.
They were apparently acting on tip-offs that Ramerafe’s home was a drug den. But no drugs were found.
In response to questions from Saturday Citizen, police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello yesterday confirmed that “the person of interest who was taken in for questioning in regard to a housebreaking case opened at Dobsonville” was expected to appear in court “soon”.
The date of his appearance is expected to be on Monday.
Until then, Dlamini – who, according to reports, faces charges of housebreaking, theft and malicious damage to property – will remain in custody.
Dlamini became a household name last year when he was lauded for leading the defence of Maponya Mall during the violent looting that erupted in the wake of former president Jacob Zuma’s incarceration.
In recent weeks, though, he and his movement have been at the forefront of a string of vigilante operations focusing largely on individuals they believe to be illegal foreigners.
These operations have culminated in a number of sometimes violent clashes with foreign nationals and has garnered widespread controversy for their extrajudicial nature, despite Dlamini previously having said that he and his team were in fact working with law enforcement.
The raid on Ramerafe’s home last weekend saw the Economic Freedom Fighters accompany Ramerafe to the police station on Wednesday to open a case.