Cape Town – The eight EFF members, who were arrested on Friday during a chaotic protest in Brackenfell, have been released on warning and will return to court in February.
The EFF descended on Brackenfell where they were protesting against alleged racism at Brackenfell High School after reports of a whites-only matric masquerade ball last month.
The atmosphere was tense on Friday morning, resulting in police firing teargas, stun grenades and using a water cannon.
Eight EFF members, who were arrested, made their court appearance on Monday morning in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court, said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila.
“They were charged with public violence. They have been released on warning and will return to court on February 12. The case has been postponed for further investigation.”
Meanwhile, outside court, the EFF rallied to show the accused support.
EFF regional secretary Banzi Dambuza said: “It will be seen in court that these are the fighters that were just walking back to the buses, and they were actually being shot at, and when they were arrested, they had no weapons. They were not doing anything, and they were simply arrested.”
EFF provincial chairperson Melikhaya Xego said their aim was to assert the party stood against racism.
He said the party still had unfinished business with Brackenfell and the high school – including the issue of a missing beret.
“The high school itself, we have not yet handed over our memorandum. We have not yet received our red beret that was taken.
“We will never finish our mission with Brackenfell until we get our beret, and also hand over the memorandum of demands that we have against the school.”
In a statement released on Sunday, the EFF called on the man who allegedly took a beret to return it, saying it would embark on a door-to-door campaign if he did not.
“We further reiterate the call for the terrorist to return the beret of the EFF, or the EFF will conduct a door-to-door campaign in Brackenfell to retrieve our symbolic mark of resistance ourselves,” the party said.
Brackenfell ward councillor Rhynhardt Bresler said he did not believe the beret was in Brackenfell.
The EFF demanded Brackenfell High School mete out punishment to “racist” staff and school governing body members within seven days.
Cape Argus