Masiphumelele activist arrested for visiting township in violation of bail terms

30 November 2016 - 12:31 By Thembela Ntongana

A man allegedly at the centre of last year's unrest in the Cape Peninsula township of Masiphumelele is in more trouble with the law. Lubabalo Vellem is accused of returning to the township in violation of his bail conditions and stabbing the tyres of a police van while he was there.No peace in the valleyFrom the chambers of parliament to the fishing villages of Cape Town’s southern peninsula, the ANC is being accused of meddling with the law. One of his bail conditions was that he should not return to Masiphumelele unless a magistrate granted permission for clinic visits.Vellem was arrested on Friday in Khayelitsha‚ where he stays with his sister‚ and he appeared at Simon’s Town Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.The magistrate questioned why he was only arrested two weeks after the incident. Vellem pleaded not guilty to both charges and was released on R500 bail.Township too dangerous for a cop shopEven the cops are scared of the criminals in Cape Town, with the police saying that the township of Masiphumelele is too dangerous for them to establish a satellite police station there. At the same time‚ he was supposed to appear in the Wynberg Regional Court on an attempted murder charge. But since he was in Simon’s Town‚ he didn’t attend the Wynberg court hearing.The Wynberg magistrate postponed the hearing until December 14 and issued a warrant for Vellem’s arrest.-This story originally appeared at GroundUp...

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.