Activist Vellem bail application denied

Simamkele Vakaza

04 April 2016

An application to change the bail conditions in order to allow community activist Lubabalo Vellem to return to his home in Masiphumelele was turned down in the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s court yesterday.

  The decision infuriated a 700 strong crowd who had marched from Masiphumelele earlier and spent the day outside court waiting to hear if their leader would return home. The were no incidents of violence during the march and Priya Reddy spokesperson for the City of Cape Town said it had been a legal march.

She said the permit had allowed for a group of 700 to march to Simon’s Town. Vellem who faces charges of attempted murder, assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm and malicious damage to property has been living with his sister in Khayelitsha after conditions when he was released on bail of 5 000 Rands in November included he be removed from the area.