Supportive shack dwellers disrupt CBD

Hundreds of Copesville community members dance and sing through Church Street outside the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court yesterday after 15 people arrested for the murders of two suspected criminals were granted bail.

Hundreds of Copesville community members dance and sing through Church Street outside the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court yesterday after 15 people arrested for the murders of two suspected criminals were granted bail.

Published Oct 17, 2014

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Pietermaritzburg – Traffic in the heart of the Pietermaritzburg CBD came to a standstill on Thursday when more than 500 shack dwellers took to the streets in support of 15 people arrested in connection with the vigilante murder of two suspected robbers.

The suspects – mostly mothers and grandmothers – were granted bail of R500 each with strict conditions, to the delight of the massive crowd outside the court, who danced, cheered and sang in the streets, satisfied that their “heroes” would not spend another day in jail.

The squatters had marched to court from the Bob Mattison informal settlement in Copesville early in the morning, escorted by a large police contingent. Police and traffic officials blocked off the portion of Church Street opposite the court to accommodate the community members and to maintain public safety, resulting in a huge traffic jam in the CBD.

Applying for bail on behalf of the 15, defence attorney Andre Chetty said that if released on bail, they would not return to Copesville, but would reside with relatives, to protect the safety of witnesses.

He said that it was in the interests of justice that the suspects be granted bail. “Most of these people are gainfully employed and run tuck-shops from their homes to support their families. Most of the women have also left behind their minor children, who have been fending for themselves since their mothers’ arrests.”

Chetty emphasised that the community “stands in support” of the suspects and if they were not granted bail, it could lead to further unrest in the area.

Since the arrests, Copesville has been the scene of several angry protests by community members who have been demanding the release of the suspects.

Magistrate Ntsoaki Ndawonde said she agreed that it was in the interests of justice that the 15 suspects be released on bail, on condition that they stayed away from witnesses and remained at their alternative addresses until the case has been finalised.

Ndawonde also ordered that the suspects reported to their nearest police station every Friday between 6am and 6pm and warned them that if they did not comply with their bail conditions, they would be re-arrested.

Eight women, aged between 30 and 68, and seven men, aged between 31 and 53, are charged with two counts of murder and two of arson. They were arrested in connection with an incident of vigilante justice when two 25-year-old men were beaten and then burned to death by about 200 residents at the informal settlement on October 7.

One of the victims has been identified as Nathi Gwala, while the other is only known within the community as “Rasta”.

It is alleged that the community suspected the men of committing thefts and robberies in the area after allegedly finding stolen items in Gwala’s shack.

They have also alleged that the men were involved in other crimes in the area over the past few years, including rape.

The angry residents dragged Gwala, Rasta and two of their neighbours onto the road, and assaulted them with sticks, hammers, pangas and rocks. Their shacks were then set alight and Gwala and Rasta were burned to death.

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