by Samkelo Mtshali
Durban - The forty two people arrested for public violence during Monday’s turmoil in Inchanga were released from the Camperdown Police Station, where they had been kept overnight, without appearing in court on Tuesday.
Speaking to the Daily News on the circumstances leading to the release of the 42, including 18 women and teenagers, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokeswoman Natasha Ramkissoon said: “The matter had not been enrolled (in the court sheet) due to insufficient evidence linking these people to the commission of the alleged offence. The matter is under investigation.”
When the Daily News got to the Camperdown Magistrates Court, where the case was expected to be heard, Inchanga SACP members, community members, including relatives of those who had been arrested, had come out to attend the court appearance. However, this did not materialise as the case did not reach the courtroom.
Ramkissoon said police were still conducting an investigation into the violence that had engulfed Inchanga at the weekend and into Monday. She said no charges had been brought against the 42.
Their release was met with ululation from supporters and community members, who broke into struggle songs outside the court house.
Nonkululeko Mathunzi (23) of Inchanga was among those arrested who spent Monday night in the holding cells. She said she had been arrested in her yard for questioning the police for shooting her two brothers with rubber bullets. They were also arrested alongside her.
“A police officer grabbed me and called me a b***h. He said ‘ voetsek, you talk too much you b***h’ when I asked why they were shooting at my brothers in our own home, when we had not been involved in the protests on the street,” Mathunzi said.
“We were initially told that because there were so many of us, our case wouldn’t be heard today (on Tuesday) but we’ll have to attend court on August 30, but they then told us we were free to go and that they never want to see us again, and that’s how we got out,” said Mathunzi.
However, she said she feared for her life as she would now be targeted for something she had had no involvement in.
Another woman, who asked not to be named, said she was delighted to be set free because she had feared having a criminal record which would have made her life complicated.
Calm had been restored to the area yesterday when the Daily News arrived, with police vans monitoring the situation. Some residents were sweeping the streets to clear debris preventing the flow of traffic in and out of the area.
A local shop had been set on fire on Monday night.
A neighbouring resident, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, said he was shocked that the shop, belonging to a Mr Dlamini, had been set ablaze because the owner was not “politically active”, nor were any members of his family.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the ANC and SACP in the province condemned the violence in the area that had led to the murders of an SACP and an ANC member on Sunday and Monday respectively. Inchanga SACP branch secretary was killed on Sunday evening, while ANC member, Xolani Ngcobo, was shot and then stoned at his home on Monday.
KZN SACP Deputy chairwomn Nomvuzo Shabalala, said: “We find it unacceptable that comrades can continue killing one another. As the leadership, we intervened in the build up to the local government elections and we were of the view that such have yielded positive results.”
“We were therefore taken by surprise when we learnt about the killing of these two comrades. We call all structures in the community to work towards ensuring peace and stability in the area,” Shabalala said.