A 30-year-old foreign national was remanded in custody after he failed to pay a R1 000 bail in the Philippi Magistrates’ Court on Friday 26 August.
David Channunorwa Kangoworariwa, originally from Zimbabwe, was arrested on Wednesday 24 August for allegedly stoning a police van. In the process he allegedly broke its window and a window glass at the Nyanga Police Station.
A case of malicious damage of state property was opened.
The motive for the attack is unknown.
Eric Ntabazalila, regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), said the accused will appear again in court on Thursday 6 October.
“He had bail set at R1 000 but hasn’t paid it to be released. The Zimbambwean national is at Pollsmoor Prison,” said Ntabazalila.
Nyanga Community Policing Forum (CPF) secretary Dumisani Qwebe described the incident as a sign of disrespect.
He said he wished the state could charge him for vandalising its resources. “No one who is normal can do such a thing. The court needs to assess his mental state and if it finds him normal, he must then be charged. The court must ensure that it gives him a longer sentence,” said Qwebe.
He stated that vandalising government property is a huge case that needs a harsher sentence.
Qwebe stated that as the CPF they are against crime and gender-based violence (GBV). “We cannot fold our arms while the criminals are doing as they please on the streets. We cannot sit down while our mothers and children are being abused in front of us. Whomever is committing crime or abusing women and children must know that his days are numbered,” he stated.