Crowds gather outside court as seven Estcourt 'cannibals' are set to appear

Hundreds of protesters on Thursday braved icy‚ rainy weather outside the Estcourt Magistrate's Court‚ where seven men accused of eating human flesh were due to appear.

The crowd sang and chanted as they awaited the start of court proceedings.

Initially five men - Nino Mbatha‚ 32‚ Lungisani Magubane‚ 30‚ Sithembiso Doctor Sithole‚ 31‚ Lindokuhle Masondo‚ 32‚ and Khayelihle Lamula‚ 32 - were arrested and appeared in court in Estcourt and nearby Loskop in August after they were found in possession of human flesh. But SAPS said on Wednesday that a sixth man was arrested about three weeks ago.

Then‚ on Thursday morning‚ just hours before the case was to be heard‚ police announced that a seventh suspect will be joining the accused. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said the seventh suspect was arrested on Thursday.

"He is in his thirties and he was arrested at Ntabamhlophe‚" he said.

By 10am‚ the case had not yet started.

Police and traffic officers closed off Albert Street on both ends to contain the relatively well-behaved crowd‚ while a sizable group of reporters waited inside the courtroom‚ where more police filled the cramped chambers. Among the crowds inside the court was local mayor Jabu Mbhele and several councillors.