Eleven University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) students arrested during violent clashes with riot police in Pietermaritzburg will have to wait until Thursday for a ruling on their bail application.
The students‚ aged between 21 and 28‚ have been in custody since September 22.
Their lawyers‚ funded by the Fees Must Fall movement in Pietermaritzburg‚ on Monday argued before the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court that the students had been in custody for too long for a schedule 1 offence.
Furthermore‚ the university’s interdict to stop violence on campus‚ could not be used against them as the students were unaware of it.
The lawyers also questioned the admissibility of the CCTV footage which allegedly incriminates the students and called on magistrate M Boikhutso to disregard what she had seen as the students and their defence team had not had sight of the evidence.
Prosecutor Patti Davis argued that the court had to be proactive against criminal behaviour and that the state had a prima facie case against the students.
She said the accused crossed the line from being students to thugs.
No bail yet for UKZN PMB eleven
Eleven University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) students arrested during violent clashes with riot police in Pietermaritzburg will have to wait until Thursday for a ruling on their bail application.
The students‚ aged between 21 and 28‚ have been in custody since September 22.
Their lawyers‚ funded by the Fees Must Fall movement in Pietermaritzburg‚ on Monday argued before the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court that the students had been in custody for too long for a schedule 1 offence.
Furthermore‚ the university’s interdict to stop violence on campus‚ could not be used against them as the students were unaware of it.
The lawyers also questioned the admissibility of the CCTV footage which allegedly incriminates the students and called on magistrate M Boikhutso to disregard what she had seen as the students and their defence team had not had sight of the evidence.
Prosecutor Patti Davis argued that the court had to be proactive against criminal behaviour and that the state had a prima facie case against the students.
She said the accused crossed the line from being students to thugs.
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