Thirty-eight people, including trade union officials, appeared briefly in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday in connection with the May 16 rampage through Cape Town by striking security guards.
The cases were postponed to August 25 for further investigation.
Facing charges of public violence are Congress of South African Trade Unions Cape general secretary Tony Ehrenreich and 36 other people, most of the them South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) members.
Appearing in a separate matter is Satawu regional secretary Evan Abrahamse, who faces charges under the Regulation of Gatherings Act.
Attorney for the 36, Ralph Jiyana, told the court it had come to his attention that not all of them were security guards.
When the case was called, eight of the accused were not in court.
However, one arrived after proceedings had started, two more as they neared their end and another three after Magistrate Eric Louw had said he would issue warrants for their arrest.
In the end Louw issued warrants for only two people, ordering that their bail be provisionally forfeited.
The bail of the others — R500 for the rank and file, R2 000 for Ehrenreich and R1 000 for Abrahamse — was extended.
Abrahamse said after his appearance that none of those arrested on March 16 had been involved in public violence.
”They were picked up at random,” he said.
Striking security guards went on the rampage through the city centre on May 16, smashing shop windows, looting goods, trashing cars and overturning street vendors’ stalls. — Sapa