Court slaps ban on unionist
2006-05-17 18:39
Cape Town - Thirty-seven unionists, one with a bandage around his head where he was hit by a police missile during Tuesday's rampage in Cape Town, were granted bail when they appeared in the magistrate's court on Wednesday.
Thirty-six of them face charges of public violence.
SA Transport and Allied Workers (Satawu) regional secretary Evan Abrahamse faces charges under the Regulation of Gatherings Act, relating to him allegedly not meeting his legal obligations as a convenor of a Satawu march.
He was released on R1 000 bail on condition that he did not act as formal convenor of any other Satawu march or demonstration.
However, this prohibition does allows him to take part in marches and to help organise them.
Police wanred them about weapons
Prosecutor David Jacobs told the court the State was alleging, among other things, that the number of marshals at the march was less than the number specified when permission was given for it.
He also said police had warned Abrahamse at the start of the march about the sticks, knobkieries and "suchlike weapons" carried by the strikers.
Among the other unionists held overnight was Cosatu Western Cape general secretary Tony Ehrenreich, who was released on R2 000 bail. The remaining 35 men and one woman were granted bail of R500 each.
Magistrate Herman van der Merwe postponed the cases of all 37 to July 7 for further investigation.
Emerging from the court to cheers from a small crowd of supporters, Ehrenreich told journalists that the Satawu members had been demonstrating "innocently".
"The police were provoking people. There was a small element at the back that was unruly, and they should be disciplined, and we would have handed them to the police ourselves.
"But, the fact is that police attacked innocent people, arrested those people that were designed to make sure that we can sort out the march...
Will clearly apologise for damage
"We want a high-level meeting with both the mayor's office and the premier's office to sort out our right to demonstrate around legitimate demands."
Asked what he had to say to people whose property was damaged and who were assaulted during the march, he said: "I think we clearly apologise to anybody who was assaulted or whose property was damaged.
"There was a criminal element misusing the strike....
"We want to reaffirm our commitment to peaceful demonstrations and our complete condemnation of violence as a tool in the strike, but to reaffirm that we don't think Satawu members have been guilty of these acts."
- SAPA