Group wants conditions of Malatji’s bail reversed
Although the Ba-Phalaborwa Concerned Community Members (BPCCM) were elated with the release of their chairperson, Edwin Malatji, they were not impressed with the bail conditions.
To show their dissatisfaction, they embarked on a peaceful march to the Phalaborwa Magistrate’s Court to hand a memorandum to the court manager, Mpho Nkoana, and W O Hatlani Chabalala of SAPS on Thursday, December 7. Malatji was arrested and charged with malicious damage to property, common robbery, and public violence after three trucks were set alight during a protest on November 1. The police also arrested Peter Mokgalaka and Dikgoshi Abby Mohale on charges from the same incident. The two were released on R2000 bail, while Malatji was granted R15 000 bail.
According to Malatji, his bail conditions stated that he is to refrain from posting any videos online as it incites violence. He also has to step down as the BPCCM chairperson and is not allowed to attend public meetings; if he does so, he cannot address anyone during the meeting. BPCCM demands that Nkoana remove the magistrate from Malatji’s case, as they accuse her of being biased and not giving him equal treatment. “The other suspects were granted R2000 bail, while I was given R50 000 bail and had to negotiate it to R15 000.
Also read: Malatji in court for violence
I have to report twice a week to the police station, while the others don’t have to do it,” Malatji explained. The memorandum handed to Chabalala requested for the public order police (POP) to convene a meeting between the BPCCM and PMC’s CEO, Guingham Wei so that he will not feel threatened sitting down with the BPCCM. They also requested the police to help them collect a response from Foskor and Zirconia on a previous memorandum delivered to the two companies in September as they do not want to be accused of instigating violence, they say.
Maj Gen Willy Mashava, the police commissioner in Mopani, told the Herald that the police’s duties are to offer security, not convene or arrange meetings. The police and the court manager have been given seven working days to respond to the demands and requests. “If the response comes back negative, we will escalate the matter to the provincial and national justice offices,” concluded Malatji.
