UCT student activist appears in 3 separate court cases

Cape Town - After appearing in three different courtrooms on various charges, all the matters against UCT political science student and activist Masixole Mlandu were postponed in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

He faces charges of malicious damage to property, intimidation and contravening a court order.

An upbeat Mlandu arrived at the court, along with other activists who attended proceedings.

He said he was currently completing his university assessments and would write his exams next year.

He planned to then pursue his Honours, also at UCT.

Mlandu was earlier this month released on bail following incidents of stone throwing at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology's (CPUT) Cape Town campus, where a door was damaged during protests on October 24.

Various cases

This case, which includes two CPUT workers, was on Wednesday postponed to December 6 for further investigation.

Prior to the stone throwing, Mlandu was arrested on October 12 after he allegedly led a group of students who broke into the UCT campus protection services office and intimidated the guards.

This case was postponed to January 18.

Mlandu's October arrest came after he spent the previous week in Pollsmoor Prison awaiting a bail hearing on charges of malicious damage to property and assault.

He was then released on R500 bail.

Before this, Mlandu was arrested on October 4 for contravening a court order.

He allegedly tried to force students to take part in campus protests and was part of a group which barricaded the entrance to Upper Campus.

This matter was postponed to January 18.

Mlandu was also arrested on May 25 for trespassing on campus.

Shackville TRC

This case is expected to be heard next month.

Mlandu was initially expelled due to the role he played in the "Shackville" protest in February, where students erected a shack on Upper Campus as a symbol of the struggle for student housing and financial exclusions.

Security guards demolished it.

In September, students had again started protesting, calling for UCT to reinstate students who had been suspended, interdicted, or expelled following Fees Must Fall protests.

They called for the university to institute a Shackville Truth and Reconciliation Commission this year. Mlandu was among those taking part in negotiations about this with the university.

The university has since agreed to institute this process.

This article first appeared on News24