Two men accused of disrupting a memorial lecture by President Jacob Zuma were granted bail in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Sibusiso Nkomiyahlaba (25) of Crossroads, and Siviwe Gxothiwe (27) of Khayelitsha, were not asked to plead the charge of public violence.
The state did not oppose the bail application and asked for bail to be set at R1 500 each.
The defence team pointed out that they only had R500 available each, as both men were unemployed, and lived with their mothers, who were also unemployed. The court set their bail at R500 each.
The men were believed to be the ringleaders of a group, believed to be African National Congress Youth League members, who violently disrupted the president’s speech on Thursday.
Several people were thrown out of the Good Hope Centre after they sang while Zuma was speaking.
SABC cameraman Rudi le Roux was hit with a chair while filming an anti-Zuma protest outside the building and received several stitches.
The ANC condemned the conduct of the “senseless thugs” at the time, saying an investigation would follow.
The youth league denied any of its members were responsible, blaming ANC members in the Western Cape for the ruckus.
The men were will be back in court on April 10. — Sapa