Wits protester’s appeal over bail decision today

WITS student leader and former SRC president Mcebo Dlamini is set to appeal today against the decision not to grant him bail.

Dlamini, who was arrested in his university residence last month on charges of public violence, theft, malicious injury to property, assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of a dangerous weapon, was denied bail in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court.

He has since been kept at the Johannesburg Prison.

His lawyer, Thabo Kwinana, was hopeful that Dlamini would be granted bail by the high court today.

“We are appealing [against] the decision based on the fact that the court that heard the matter made an error in its finding,” he said.

“We’re hoping he’s going to fight this thing off. It’s tough. No one wanted to spend a night in jail,” he said.

Fellow student leader and Wits SRC secretary Fasiha Hassan said student leaders had been visiting Dlamini regularly, keeping him up to date with developments.

“He’s in good spirits. He is still very concerned about students having to write exams, about the future of the movement,” she said.

Hassan said students have had to change their tactics after a failed bid last week to bring an interdict against the university to defer the start of the end-of-year examinations by at least two weeks.

“We are getting students to apply for deferred exams in their numbers now,” she said.