Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign Press Statement
Tuesday 5th February 2008
1pm
This Thursday, 7th February 2008, eight Joe Slovo residents charged with public violence last year will appear in the Cape Town Regional Court in Parow (Court Number 4).
The Joe Slovo Task Team is very disturbed that the case has been moved from the Bishop Lavis Magistrates Court to the Regional Court and that it is set down for trial, whereas they do not even have a lawyer.
The community of Joe Slovo intends to hold a protest outside the court in large numbers.
Mzwanele Zulu, spokesperson for the Joe Slovo Task Team says “we don’t even know why this case has been brought against us. It was well documented that it was the police who committed public violence against us by shooting us at an illegally unacceptable close range with rubber coated metal bullets and dragging old women along the ground and injuring them. All of this was photographed and captured on video”.
Zulu added that the arrests were even more illegitimate because the police targetted activists only, whereas the entire community was involved in the peaceful protest.
The arrest of Zulu himself did not take place during the protest but two days later when Zulu went to the Langa police station to inform police that the community wanted to have a meeting inside the settlement to discuss the way forward.
The police agreed not to harass the meeting in any way. However, just minutes later as Mzwanele was walking home, police swooped on him and arrested him. The community later heard that there was an instruction from the provincial commissioner to arrest Mzwanele. This is ludicrous because at the protest, the police insisted on speaking to a negotiator from [the] Task Team and Mzwanele was that negotiator. So it is clear that Zulu was arrested merely for being a community leader and for speaking to the media.
We are seeing a disturbingly increased use of the public violence charge by the state against protestors, especially against chief marshalls or community or union leaders or community media spokespersons. It is unlawful for the police to charge people who are not committing any crime. Last week, the SA Municipal Workers’ Union Chief Marshall Leon Johannes was arrested for public violence merely for asking the police to stop shooting at other protestors.
…/ends
For comment, call Mzwanele Zulu on 076 3852369