By SILUSAPHO NYANDA and DAVID MACGREGOR
Police on Wednesday night arrested 10 students from the Walter Sisulu University Potsdam Campus during a #FeesMustFall protest.
Theywere taken to Nyibiba police station where they were to be charged with public violence.
The students, who were arrested in the campus gymnasium, protested their innocence as they were being escorted to a police van claiming they had been playing pool.
Earlier in the evening police dispersed WSU students who had for the third night in a row blocked traffic in St James Road and Gately Street in Southernwood.
The rioting students dispersed after it starting raining and police fired rubber bullets.
In Grahamstown, a Rhodes University #FeesMustFall student arrested for the second time on allegations of public violence and malicious damage to property, accused a magistrate of bias.
Luzuko Brian Naki’s attorney Basil Williams yesterday told the Daily Dispatch his client felt there was a “perceived bias” against him after magistrate Ntsoki Moni said if arrested students could afford private legal counsel, they could afford to pay R1000 bail.
The comment, made at the appearance of nine students on Wednesday on similar charges, caused widespread outrage and concern among student fee protesters who were in the gallery and were quickly disseminated online.
Williams yesterday requested that Naki’s bail application be moved to any other court where Moni was not on the bench.
Her ruling was made after a delegation of students and Rhodes Nehawu leaders led by Williams met the judicial head of the High Street court complex to request the bail application be heard in “any other court”.
Although Naki was charged separately to 10 other students arrested on Monday, he appeared in the dock alongside nine of them as he waited for his case to be heard.
A bail application by the 10th student, a 17-year-old minor, was heard in camera by Moni and media was barred from attending.
According to Williams, who is representing all the arrested students, his student clients felt the magistrate was not courteous and had also not afforded their attorney the opportunity to address the court on the issue of the amount of bail the other arrested students could pay – if any.
The matter was then transferred to another court and magistrate Shaun Murphy postponed it until today.
Williams addressed students and concerned staff to discuss plans to bring charges of police brutality following Monday night’s arrests.
He said allegations of police firing stun grenades in residences and intimidating students who were not even involved in protests needed to be investigated by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
WSU students say they were playing pool before arrest
Police on Wednesday night arrested 10 students from the Walter Sisulu University Potsdam Campus during a #FeesMustFall protest.
Theywere taken to Nyibiba police station where they were to be charged with public violence.
The students, who were arrested in the campus gymnasium, protested their innocence as they were being escorted to a police van claiming they had been playing pool.
Earlier in the evening police dispersed WSU students who had for the third night in a row blocked traffic in St James Road and Gately Street in Southernwood.
The rioting students dispersed after it starting raining and police fired rubber bullets.
In Grahamstown, a Rhodes University #FeesMustFall student arrested for the second time on allegations of public violence and malicious damage to property, accused a magistrate of bias.
Luzuko Brian Naki’s attorney Basil Williams yesterday told the Daily Dispatch his client felt there was a “perceived bias” against him after magistrate Ntsoki Moni said if arrested students could afford private legal counsel, they could afford to pay R1000 bail.
The comment, made at the appearance of nine students on Wednesday on similar charges, caused widespread outrage and concern among student fee protesters who were in the gallery and were quickly disseminated online.
Williams yesterday requested that Naki’s bail application be moved to any other court where Moni was not on the bench.
Her ruling was made after a delegation of students and Rhodes Nehawu leaders led by Williams met the judicial head of the High Street court complex to request the bail application be heard in “any other court”.
Although Naki was charged separately to 10 other students arrested on Monday, he appeared in the dock alongside nine of them as he waited for his case to be heard.
A bail application by the 10th student, a 17-year-old minor, was heard in camera by Moni and media was barred from attending.
According to Williams, who is representing all the arrested students, his student clients felt the magistrate was not courteous and had also not afforded their attorney the opportunity to address the court on the issue of the amount of bail the other arrested students could pay – if any.
The matter was then transferred to another court and magistrate Shaun Murphy postponed it until today.
Williams addressed students and concerned staff to discuss plans to bring charges of police brutality following Monday night’s arrests.
He said allegations of police firing stun grenades in residences and intimidating students who were not even involved in protests needed to be investigated by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
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