South Africa Fees Must Fall activist sentenced to 3 years house arrest

SOUTH AFRICA – Fees Must Fall activist Bonginkosi Khanyile was sentenced on Monday to three years in prison, suspended for five years, and has been placed under house arrest for the duration of his sentence.

Alternatively, Khanyile was given the option of paying a R5 000 fine. He has also been ordered to undergo life skills courses for public violence.

Khanyile appeared in the Durban regional court on Monday where magistrate Sizwe Hlophe handed down the judgement. He was supported by scores of people dressed in Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) regalia outside the court.

Proceedings were delayed after Khanyile was reportedly stuck in an elevator within the court.

Monday’s judgement concludes the case which lasted almost two years due to several postponements.

Khanyile, a leader in the EFF Student Command, was arrested at the Durban University of Technology (DUT)  in 2016 during the height of the Fees Must Fall protests.

In 2017, Khanyile graduated cum laude after serving six months in Durban’s Westville prison, where he wrote his exams for a diploma in public management and economics.

Source : Mail & Guardian