Johannesburg - Former Wits University student representative council president Mcebo Dlamini is being kept in a high-care centre of Johannesburg Prison as an awaiting- trial prisoner, despite the facility being reserved for hardened criminals.
The latest development in Dlamini's incarceration was revealed by Gauteng Community Safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane in the provincial legislature on Tuesday.
She also revealed that more than R3 million has been spent on overtime and meals for police officers who had been deployed to quell protests at Gauteng universities.
Dlamini was arrested on October 16 and charged with theft, malicious damage to property, public violence and assault with intent to commit grievous bodily harm.
His two bail applications failed.
Nkosi-Malobane was reacting to allegations that Dlamini was on a hunger strike since his bail application was turned down on Tuesday last week.
She denied the allegation that he was on a hunger strike, adding that he was kept in the high-care centre for his “own safety and to prevent him being attacked by common prisoners”.
The MEC said she visited Dlamini in prison and found him in high spirits.
She was responding to questions by the EFF’s Patrick Sindane, who also wanted to know whether the SAPS would be withdrawn from Wits and whether the MEC was satisfied with the way the police were handling the student protests.
Nkosi-Malobane replied: “A total number of 1 368 members were deployed since the beginning of the #FeesMustFall campaign at Wits University.”
She said the government had spent R67 826 on meals to feed the officers deployed during the protests and about R3.2m was spent on their overtime.
The MEC defended the police's methods against the protesters, saying “the use of minimum force is the last resort to curb the current situation”.
She disputed that live bullets were used and said the police used tonfa and shields, stun grenades/thunder flash, CS gas grenades, pepper spray, water cannons, 40mm CS impulse rounds and 12-bore rubber bullets.
Nkosi-Malobane said those had not resulted in the loss of life.
Sindane expressed his unhappiness that the government had spent more than R3m in overtime payments to police officers.
“R3 million? This is proof that free education for all was possible. You are planting a seed of anger in students. You are turning police into the enemies of the people,” he said.
baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za
The Star