The lawyer representing the accused in the "pants" case aims to apply to have some of the charges against his clients dropped, the Umlazi regional court heard yesterday.

The lawyer representing the accused in the "pants" case aims to apply to have some of the charges against his clients dropped, the Umlazi regional court heard yesterday.

The four men are accused of stripping a Durban woman's pants off, parading her in public half-naked and burning her house down.

Lawrence de Klerk told the court he needed time to put forward written arguments as to why some of the charges should be dropped.

The men allegedly assaulted Zandile Mpanza and pulled her pants off before burning down her home. She had apparently violated a ban on women wearing pants in Umlazi's T Section.

On Tuesday, another family said the same men had burned down their shack, about 100m from Mpanza's home, on the same day.

The accused are Thulani Cele and his brother Sibusiso, Sitha Nzuza, and Wiseman Mzotho.

The case continues. - Sapa