Pretoria - Chants of “Paul Kruger tshwanetse a pentwe” (“Paul Kruger must be painted”) rung around the Tshwane CBD as Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) celebrated after charges levelled against one of its members were dropped.
According to his legal representative, the EFF member was due to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday after he was arrested on Saturday on charges of public violence and refusing to co-operate with police.
The matter follows prior vandalism of the statue which was painted lime green over the Easter weekend, allegedly by EFF members.
The members gathered at Church Square on Saturday, protesting and threatening to vandalise the statue once more when police intervened.
During the altercation with police, one member was arrested and later released on police bail of R500. EFF members gathered outside the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court in support of their fellow member.
Andres Nkome, legal representative for the man, said they found it strange that the prosecutors took so long to decide whether to proceed with charges brought against his client.
“The matter was not even placed on the court roll as the prosecution was fishing for evidence. Since the morning they claimed to be going through video footage of the incident and by the afternoon they had still not found anything,” he said.
The members marched from the magistrate’s court to Church Square pledging their undying support for EFF leader Julius Malema.
Pretoria News