Bonginkosi Khanyile is facing charges of looting and violence related to last July’s unrest.
FILE: Bonginkosi Khanyile appears in the Durban Magistrates Court on August 23, 2021. Photo: Nhlanhla Mabaso/Eyewitness News
DURBAN – The trial of accused instigator of the July riots, Bonginkosi Khanile, begins on Monday in the Durban Magistrate’s Court.
Khanila has been charged with looting and violence related to last year’s July riots.
He allegedly held meetings, in defiance of COVID-19 regulations, calling for the release of former president Jacob Zuma from Estcourt Correctional Institution.
Hanile was released on bail of 5,000 rand last year.
His trial is expected to begin on Monday.
He is accused of being one of those who instigated the mass looting that rocked parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces last July.
Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Natasha Ramkissan-Kara, said: “Khanila has been charged with inciting public violence and breaching the Disaster Management Act in relation to acts of looting and violence that took place in KwaZulu- Natalia in July 2021. The trial is expected to last until August 26, 2022.”
Khanile can be seen in videos calling for Zuma’s release from prison. The videos were also used in court during his bail application.
In some videos, he can be heard encouraging trucks to be set on fire.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
