Operation Dudula leader Nhlanhla ‘Lux’ Dlamini granted bail

The leader of the vigilante group Operation Dudula, Nhlanhla ‘Lux’ Dlamini, has been granted bail of R1 500 by the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court.

The state has referred to the Operation Dudula leader as Ntlantla ‘Lux’ Mohlauhi.

Dlamini appeared before the court on Monday morning following his arrest last week on charges of malicious damage to property, theft and burglary.

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The charges are in connection with an incident this month in which he and Operation Dudula members ransacked Soweto resident Victor Ramerafe’s home in search of drugs.

They were apparently acting on tip-offs that Ramerafe’s home was in fact a drug den, but no drugs were found.

As part of his bail conditions, Dlamini is not allowed to make contact with the complainant. He has also been ordered to to hand over his passport.

The court acceded to these requests.

The court was initially going to order he be confined to Gauteng while on bail, but Dlamini’s legal representative objected to this on the grounds that Police Minister Bheki Cele has apparently invited him to travel the country “educating” others.

Dlamini became a household name last year, when he was lauded for leading the defence of Maponya Mall during the violent looting that erupted in the wake of former president Jacob Zuma’s incarceration.

In recent weeks, though, he and his movement have been at the forefront of a string of vigilante-style operations.

The raid on Ramerafe’s home last weekend also saw the Economic Freedom Fighters – of which he is a member – enter the fray, and the party accompanied him to the police station last week to open a case.

The case was postponed to 27 May.

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