Johannesburg – The mother of #FeesMust- Fall campaigner Bonginkosi Khanyile is an emotional wreck as her son’s legal troubles take a heavy toll on her health.
Speaking to Sunday World from her home in eShowe in northern KwaZulu- Natal, Phumzile Khathini said she did not understand why law-enforcement agencies were pursuing her son.
She was reacting to news that Khanyile was arrested by the Hawks around 2am yesterday at a student residence at Wits University on charges relating to incitement to cause public violence.
This follows his various talks on public platforms calling for the release of former president Jacob Zuma.
“They are treating him like a hardened criminal. The son I raised is nothing like that, his only passion is education and fighting for justice. If there was nothing sinister at play, police would have arrested him during the day, but they had to wait and ambush him while he was asleep. To me, it feels like they were dealing with a wanted armed and dangerous criminal,” said Khathini.
Confirming Khanyile’s arrest, Philani “Gazuzu” Nduli, a fellow activist in the #FeesMust- Fall movement, said he had received a call in the early hours of Saturday.
“He was arrested by the Hawks investigators in a student residence at Wits and transferred the same night to Durban Central police station, where he is currently being kept. He is due to appear at Durban magistrate’s court on Monday. For now, what we know is that he is charged with incitement to cause public violence,” said Nduli.
He said Khanyile was targeted after fears from the intelligence apparatus that student organisations were mobilising to shut down the country and calling for the fall of Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency.
“Police intelligence claims that he was a key player in the planned protests. But our view is that we will mobilise to ensure that he is released. We can’t stand and watch when the government is prosecuting people for their views.”
Khanyile joins a list of the socalled key instigators of the July looting spree, including ex-Ukhozi FM radio host Ngizwenkosi Mchunu.
The looting, which culminated into violence claiming more than 300 lives, was calling for Zuma’s release in what government has since identified as a failed insurrection.
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