BULAWAYO, March 6, (NewsDay Live) - A Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) activist appeared at the Plumtree Magistrates Court on Thursday facing a disorderly conduct charge after he stormed a local school protesting against the alleged ill-treatment of students.
Mkhulile Jele (34), who is MRP youth chairperson, was granted US$50 bail by magistrate Aelene Munamati.
The matter was remanded to March 11 for trial.
Jele is alleged to have stormed into the headmaster's office at Phakamani High School on February 3 protesting the harassment of students.
Through his lawyer Thuto Mavula, Jele denied the charge saying he only questioned why students were being interrogated by police officers and school authorities without the consent of their parents.
Jele claimed that on January 28, he was invited to the school by a teacher who teaches Heritage studies to discuss the issue of a student who had recorded a lesson using a mobile phone.
"When I went to Phakamani, we discussed the issue with the senior teacher ,deputy head and Heritage teacher but we did not reach a resolution on the matter," he said.
Jele said on February 3, he made a follow-up on the issue, with plans to collect the cellphone at the centre of controversy.
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"I saw the headmaster going with students (sic) (and) I followed as I had intended to talk to him about the incident, but when I reached his office, there were two officers, one known as James Moses told me to leave the office as they had business to take care of," he said.
Jele said he asked why they were detaining students without their parent’s consent.
"When I was asking, the headmaster failed to respond and I called my lawyer and I asked him to answer the call which he refused to do, hence I left the school premises," he said.
Jele said one of the students allegedly later told him that the police officers knocked him against the wall during interrogation, and ordered him to refrain from engaging in political party activism.
