About 180 people accused of illegally gathering on a train while carrying human waste have appeared in court.
|||Cape Town - About 180 people accused of illegally gathering on a train while carrying human waste appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.
The group had to be separated into smaller groups of 10 to 15 people and were led into the court room in succession.
Although 184 people were arrested, the court was informed that a few people had not arrived. The group was told to return to court on August 2, after further investigation.
Western Cape police spokesman Captain Frederick van Wyk said they were arrested at the Esplenade railway station in Woodstock on Monday morning, while en route from the Chris Hani station to the Cape Town station. He said 118 people on the 10.15am train were arrested and 66 on the 11.15am train.
They were allegedly on their way to dump human waste in the city. They were charged with public violence and convening a gathering without notice, before being released on a warning to appear in court again.
Seven of the accused, including former councillor and ANC Youth League member Andile Lili, were kept in custody. They would be back in court later on Wednesday to apply for bail. - Sapa