South African opposition leader appears in court

CAPE TOWN – The leader of South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance, Helen Zille, appeared in court briefly on Tuesday alongside 10 others arrested in an anti-drug march in Cape Town at the weekend.

Zille, also mayor of Cape Town, appeared in the Mitchells Plain magistrate’s court on a charge of contravening the Gatherings Act following her arrest on Sunday. The case was postponed to October 26 for further investigation.Zille’s lawyer, Frank Raymond, complained to the magistrate that the charges made no sense as the march had been a peaceful and legal one for which permission had been obtained from the authorities.”She was charged with knocking on a door,” he said.”I don’t quite understand it.”Zille, 56, was arrested following her participation in a community protest in the suburb of Mitchells Plain on Sunday afternoon, which saw demonstrators marching on the houses of suspected drug dealers and distributing petitions demanding an end to the illegal trade.Drug abuse among youngsters is a major concern in Mitchells Plain.Zille told a press conference after Tuesday’s court appearance that the arrests had been politically motivated, but declined to elaborate.Nampa-AFPThe case was postponed to October 26 for further investigation.Zille’s lawyer, Frank Raymond, complained to the magistrate that the charges made no sense as the march had been a peaceful and legal one for which permission had been obtained from the authorities.”She was charged with knocking on a door,” he said.”I don’t quite understand it.”Zille, 56, was arrested following her participation in a community protest in the suburb of Mitchells Plain on Sunday afternoon, which saw demonstrators marching on the houses of suspected drug dealers and distributing petitions demanding an end to the illegal trade.Drug abuse among youngsters is a major concern in Mitchells Plain.Zille told a press conference after Tuesday’s court appearance that the arrests had been politically motivated, but declined to elaborate.Nampa-AFP