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l Court hears that Mbuli might have violated a protection order granted to his wife l He allegedly assaulted his wife during the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women or Children

Thembela Khamango

Thembela Khamango

The people's poet, Mzwakhe Mbuli, is back in court. This time he allegedly assaulted his wife.

Four days after the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women or Children campaign ended, Mbuli appeared in the Johannesburg magistrates' court on charges of common assault.

Prosecutor Dally Mashaba told the court Mbuli was arrested on Wednesday.

"He allegedly demanded car keys from his wife, Doris Mbuli, and then became physically aggressive."

Mashaba first recommended that Mbuli be released on a warning and that he should not contact the complainant. Mbuli allegedly violated a protection order his wife had previously taken out against him.

Mbuli was sent back to the cells to allow his advocate, Mphafolane Koma, to consult with him on alternative accommodation.

When Mbuli was brought back to court, the state recommended he be released on R2000 bail.

Koma then stunned the court by saying Mbuli had no previous convictions.

The magistrate asked Koma whether he was sure about what he had said. He ordered Mbuli to be taken back to the cells so his advocate could consult with him again.

When Koma returned to the court for the third time he apologised, saying he had misunderstood.

"I thought the court wanted to know if he had been convicted for assault before," Koma said.

The court heard that in 1999 Mbuli was sentenced to 10 years in jail for an armed robbery committed in 1997. In 2003 he was released on parole.

Mbuli will be back in court on January 16.

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