'Mary Smith' discriminated against
2003-01-29 15:01
Pretoria - Gaye Derby-Lewis, wife of jailed rightwinger Clive Derby-Lewis, will be tried in March on charges of illegally possessing firearms and ammunition.
The Pretoria magistrate's court postponed the case to March 4 on Wednesday, and ruled that it be heard in the Regional Court.
Derby-Lewis, 62, was arrested in November during countrywide police raids forming part of a probe into a spate of bombings blamed on the far right.
She was freed on R3 000 bail after police seized several firearms and ammunition at her house.
Derby-Lewis, who claims the firearms were all licensed, told reporters outside the court on Wednesday that she was being victimised for political reasons.
"It is because my name is Gaye Derby-Lewis. If it was Mary Smith, I wouldn't even be here," she said after her brief appearance.
Sources close to the case were earlier in the day quoted as saying that the charges against her might be dropped.
Clive Derby-Lewis, a former Conservative Party MP, is serving a life sentence for the murder of former SA Communist Party secretary-general Chris Hani.
- SAPA