Durban - Four alleged July unrest instigators who made their first appearances in the Durban Magistrate’s Court yesterday were released on R3 000 bail.
Menzi Blose, 43, Mathews Ntjonto, 51, Mthokozisi Gwala, 37, and Sibusiso Ngubane, 29, are facing charges of conspiracy to commit public violence, incitement to commit public violence and incitement to commit arson.
While there were media reports that one of the accused is a police officer, the National Prosecuting Authority could not confirm this yesterday.
Only Blose had a lawyer for the first appearance and the three other accused were granted an opportunity to seek Legal Aid representation before the matter returns to court on August 26.
The State did not oppose bail and the court granted bail to each of the accused on condition that they did not post information on social-media platforms in relation to the case, and they would notify their legal representation if they changed their contact details or residential addresses.
Last Friday, 22 other accused made a brief appearance in court for the same charges and were also granted bail.
Meanwhile, the trial of another unrest accused, Bonginkosi Khanyile, failed to start yesterday as he said his case was complex and he needed to add an advocate to reinforce his legal team.
The case is back in court on Friday.
The #FeesMustFall activist is facing various charges related to the looting, including a charge of incitement to commit public violence, as well as charges of contravention of the Disaster Management Act.
Speaking to the media outside court, Khanyile said he had nothing to hide, adding that he had never instructed people to steal.
More than 80 suspects from various provinces have been arrested for crimes related to the July unrest.
The civil unrest led to the deaths of more than 350 people and, according to a survey conducted by the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, businesses in eThekwini lost R70 billion.