Cape Town - Members of the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) were disappointed when an application for bail by one of their activists, who is facing a murder charge, was postponed on Thursday – and said this reflected on the slow justice system the group was fighting.
Angy Peter, 32, a leading member of the SJC’s anti-vigilante campaign, is being held in connection with a vigilante killing in Mfuleni.
She appeared briefly in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court on Thursday with her three co-accused – her partner, Isaac Mbadu, 26, Christopher Dina, 25, and Azola Dayimane, 24.
The four were arrested on October 14, hours after the body of Siphiwo Rowan Mbevu was found burnt and beaten.
Police allege that Mbevu was “necklaced”. The SJC says Mbevu was a known criminal in Mfuleni and that residents had made numerous attempts to assault or kill him.
The SJC said that, as leading activists, Peter and Mbadu had prevented these murder attempts and that both deny the charges against them.
On Thursday, the Cape Times learnt that Peter is five months pregnant and has chronic asthma. She is being held in the hospital wing of Pollsmoor Prison.
About 50 SJC members waited five hours for Peter’s appearance on Thursday.
The court roll was overloaded, however.
Peter’s attorney, Josua Greef, asked that the matter be postponed until November 14.
“For practical purposes, we have asked to move the case to another court so that the matter can be heard as quickly as possible to finalise the bail hearing in one day,” he said.
“We have been waiting all day and it would not make sense for us to start so late in the day and not finish the hearing.”
Peter looked disappointed and cried when her lawyer spoke to her when court adjourned.
Gavin Silber, from the SJC, said: “This is not the result we wanted to hear, although these postponements are not unusual, it shows how drawn-out the justice system can be.”
Silber said the SJC would consult its lawyers about applying to the Western Cape High Court for an urgent interdict for the matter to be heard sooner.
SJC member Vuyani Mngqete said: “This is the system we are fighting at the moment because these delays are unacceptable.”
Silber said the delay in Peter’s case reflected the reasons why the organisation had been calling for a commission of inquiry to look into a breakdown in the criminal justice system and alleged police inefficiency in Khayelitsha.
“It is fitting that this is happening with Angy’s case just before the commission’s public hearings. This is exactly what we are trying to draw attention to,” Silber said.
The SJC, Treatment Action Campaign, Equal Education, the Triangle Project and Ndifuna Ukwazi, all represented by the Women’s Legal Centre, were instrumental in the establishment of the O’Regan Commission of Inquiry by Premier Helen Zille.
Peter and her co-accused remain have been remanded until November 14.
The commission’s public hearings start on November 12. Peter had been scheduled to appear as a key SJC witness.
Cape Times