Paperwork delays allow Christmas reprieve for Khanyile

#FeesMustFall activist Bonginkosi Khanyile – convicted on public violence charges in August - was given a brief reprieve when sentencing procedures were delayed on Tuesday.

Khanyile‚ a Durban University of Technology student‚ was a central figure in fee-free protests in 2015.

He was arrested during violent clashes with police and endured a protracted stay in prison while awaiting trial – eventually freed after lawyers petitioned the Constitutional Court.

This year he pleaded guilty to charges of public violence‚ failing to comply with a police instruction and possession of a dangerous weapon and was summarily convicted by magistrate Siphiwe Hlophe.

On Tuesday the court heard that the state was still finalising Khanyile’s pre-sentencing report‚ a document used when assessing mitigation and aggravation of sentence.

He will appear in court again on January 28.