Fees Must Fall Activist Turned Alleged Unrest Instigator Appears in Court, 'Ready to Die for Zuma'

• Fees Must Fall activist and an alleged instigator of the recent riots in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, Bonginkosi Khanyile, made a scheduled appearance in court on Thursday
• Khanyile was submitting a formal bail application to the Durban Magistrate's Court following his arrest on Friday, 20 August
• Khanyile faces five charges, two each for illegal gathering and not wearing a mask, and one for incitement to commit violence

An alleged instigator of the recent riots who was the face of the #FeesMustFall movement that made waves across Universities in South Africa in recent years has appeared in court.

Bonginkosi Khanyile, 31, cut a confident figure in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Thursday, maintaining that his detention will not hinder his fight for former president Jacob Zuma to be released.

Briefly News understands that Khanyile Khanyile faces five charges, two each for illegal gathering and not wearing a mask, and one for incitement to commit violence.

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His appearance in court was for a formal bail application, according to SABC News. As part of the proceedings, the court poured over videos showing Khanyile addressing people on separate occasions.

Khanyile actively incited uprising on social media and in public

TimesLIVE reported that the activist has been vocal on social networking platforms, allegedly rallying the masses to support Zuma, who is currently serving a 15-month jail term for contempt of court at the Estcourt Correctional Centre.

Khanyile's bail application has been postponed to 31 August. The EFF member conveyed to journalists that Zuma must be released. He was quoted saying:

“Even if we are facing a death sentence, even if we are about to be hanged, even in the gallows, we will say that on any platform because he was arrested in an undemocratic manner. That’s how he was arrested."

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Amid the proceedings, KwaZulu-Natal acting provincial command for the Hawks submitted an affidavit detailing the evidence against the controversial figure.

Alleged unrest instigator pleads innocence

In one of the videos played in court, according to reports, Khanyile is seen allegedly addressing a group of people at a taxi rank. Briefly News understands the address took place at the Warwick Avenue taxi stand in Durban.

While speaking confidently to the media at the court about his stance on Zuma's matter, Khanyile added:

"Even if we were facing the gallows or sentenced to death, we will sustain that he must be let out. So, how we are approaching this matter?

We are strong ... we are not moved by anything because we are innocent, our souls and consciousness are clean."

Activist arrested after being linked to recent violent protests

In recent news, Briefly News reported that Khanyile was arrested by police after he was positively linked to the recent violent protests that spread across the country.

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According to eNCA, the 31-year-old was arrested in Johannesburg and taken to KwaZulu-Natal to stand trial in Durban.

The EFF spokesperson, Vuyani Pambo, refused to comment on the arrest, according to News24.

Source: Briefly News