Fees activist Mcebo Dlamini sits for exams with a looming court case
5 October 2017
Johannesburg – Student activist Mcebo Dlamini said it was "sad" that he will be going into the exams with his legal matter still hanging over his head.
Dlamini appeared briefly in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Thursday where his case was postponed to November 22.
"It is very sad because I am repeating this year," Dlamini told reporters shortly after his appearance.
"Going into the exams with such pressure, confusion and uncertainty because [of] the case and everything is hanging over my head…is very detrimental but we will soldier on."
Dlamini appeared on charges of violating a court order, public violence, assault, theft, and damage to property.
The charges relate to the 2016 Fees Must Fall protests at Wits University.
State prosecutor Steven Rubin said there was video footage that was still outstanding.
However, the State has provided disclosure in the form of documents to Dlamini's legal representative.
Dlamini's lawyer, Khathutshelo Nelson Mathibe, had requested a postponement to consult with him regarding the documents, and also to allow him to write exams.
Dlamini said the matter was a "waste of public funds".
"It is frustrating (and) sometimes I wonder why the State is eager to pursue this non-factor because clearly they don't have a case."
He said he was repeating his postgraduate in LLB and would be writing his exams from October 18 until November 17.
"If I fail this year [then] that's an automatic exclusion," he said.
Dlamini was arrested in October 2016, but was released on R2 000 bail on November 9 in the High Court in Palm Ridge.
