Attorney Tebogo Kalaote, who represents nine of the eleven accused, tells OFM News the group was released on a warning by the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. 

The group was arrested on 23 March as they continued their shutdown of operations at the Bram Fischer Building where the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality is headquartered. 

The accused include MCC spokesperson and community leader Themba Zweni. Kalaote says the case against the pressure group has been postponed to 15 May 2022 for further investigations.

The attorney says some of the accused were bystanders of the alleged public violence and not participants in the alleged chaos. The state is now probing who did what amongst the eleven accused. Kalaote says he and the others' defense – Belot attorneys - are not opposed to the investigation by the state. Zweni told OFM News shortly after he was arrested that the pressure group was barricading entrance points to the municipality when Public Order Police got to the scene and fired rubber bullets, arresting the eleven of them.

Also read: Mangaung pressure groups slapped with court interdicts

Meanwhile, both the Mangaung Service Delivery Forum (MSDF) and Mangaung Concerned Community (MCC) have been interdicted by Mangaung, barring them from demonstrating at municipal premises in the Free State capital. In addition to last week’s demonstrations, two of the embattled metro’s refuse removal trucks were torched in the Phahameng township, Bloemfontein. 

Also read: Mangaung office, refuse removal trucks torched - VIDEO

An office belonging to the municipality’s Supply Chain Division in the city’s central business district was also torched. No arrests were made.

OFM News