Five accused still without lawyers as July 2021 unrest trial is postponed again
Proceedings relate to the deadly unrest and widespread looting that swept through KZN in 2021.
A Cotton Lands woman is among 62 people accused in the July 2021 unrest case, which was again postponed in the Durban High Court because of ongoing Legal Aid delays.
Zanele Bhengu (42), of Cotton Lands near Mount Moreland, is one of 65 people who were originally charged. Three have since died.
The accused face charges linked to the unrest that devastated towns across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
The trial was scheduled to run from July 20 to September 18 but could not begin because 12 accused were without legal representation following the withdrawal of their attorneys.
On July 27, the court heard that several accused were still without representation, mainly because they had not submitted the required documentation to apply.
Judge Nompumelelo Radebe gave them until August 11 to submit the outstanding documents before adjourning the matter to August 17.
More than three weeks later, on September 10, five of the accused were still without legal representation.
The matter was adjourned to August 23, next year, for trial.
The accused face charges of incitement to commit public violence, incitement to commit terrorism, conspiracy to commit public violence, conspiracy to commit murder, terrorism, sedition and public violence.
The July 2021 unrest claimed 354 lives and caused an estimated R50-billion in economic damage, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
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