Johannesburg - There was jubilation outside the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday as charges against 141 people charged with violating a University of Johannesburg court order were dropped.
Their legal representative Heetesh Patesh said the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) withdrew the charges pending further investigation.
The group consisted of 33 students from UJ, 13 Witwatersrand University students and 95 workers.
They were all arrested on Friday for allegedly violating a court order barring them from protesting near the campus.
They were held overnight at Brixton police station, but were released on a warning on Saturday.
Earlier, one of the signatories of a disputed outsourcing agreement with the institution apologised to the workers.
Margaret Chauke told the protesters she was coerced into signing the agreement and was driven to a location on Sunday where the agreement with Vice Chancellor Ihron Rensburg and a NEHAWU representative, Kgomotso Makhupola was signed.
The protesters said no one had a mandate to negotiate with Rensburg. They wanted him to address them and receive their memorandum of demands.
Protests against outsourcing of staff at the university drew support from students last week.
ANA
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