Durban - Twenty people, accused of instigating last year’s unrest, are due to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Their arrests come thanks to a multi-disciplinary, interprovincial sting, carried out on Thursday.
According to Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Thandi Mbambo, the group face charges ranging from conspiracy to commit public violence, incitement to commit public violence and incitement to commit arson.
She said joint police teams were mobilised to execute simultaneous arrests in various areas so as to secure court attendance of persons of interest, spread out in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, North West, Free State, Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces.
According to Mbambo, this multidisciplinary team includes the Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation (SOCI), Serious Corruption Investigation (SCI), Serious Commercial Crime Investigation (SCCI), Digital Forensic Investigation (DFI), Priority Crime Management Centre (PCMC) of the Hawks, Crime Intelligence (CI), National Intervention Unit (NIU), Public Order Policing (POP), Tactical Response Team (TRT) as well as Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) members.
National Head of the Hawks, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, hailed the investigation and prosecution team for their meticulous work and assured South African citizens that the team under his command would continue to work without fear, favour nor prejudice.
The arrests come just hours after two men were convicted for their roles in last year’s unrest.
Regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said Sihle Jali and Sifiso Ngcobo were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment each, on charges of public violence.
“They were arrested in July 2021, for violent conduct at the Engen garage, on Nandi Drive, during the unrest,” she said.
The men were sentenced in terms of Section 276 (i) of the Criminal Procedure Act, which means that they may be placed under correctional supervision, at the discretion of the Correctional Commissioner after having served a portion of their sentence.
Violent scenes played out in July last year across KZN and parts of Gauteng following the incarceration of former SA president Jacob Zuma.
IOL