King Khoisan, leader of the Khoisan community camping at Union Buildings for three years. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency (ANA)
Pretoria - A warrant of arrest has been issued for Donovan Manuel, accused number two in the case involving King Khoisan (previously Chief Khoisan SA).
Khoisan has been been accused of dealing in, and being in possession of dagga.
The leader of the Khoisan group that has been camping at the Union Buildings for more than three years was arrested in January for allegedly planting dagga.
National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the matter involving Khoisan could not proceed as accused number two was absent. A warrant for his arrest was immediately issued.
“The Khoisan translator was not available due to incorrect documents being sent to him. (A) laboratory report was also not available. (The) defence strongly and vigorously objected to an application for further postponement but (the) court granted the State a postponement.”
Mahanjana said the matter was postponed to November 22 for trial.
Khoisan said the case has had an emotional impact on him, and he wanted the case thrown out of court.
“Our legal advisor said the case has to be thrown out of court because it has been dragging on too long. No proper investigation was done. There is a lot things that are not in place.”
Khoisan said they had requested to speak in their mother tongue and it was said an interpreter was needed for translation.
“When we appeared in court on Tuesday we said to them, ‘We have given you three months and what is your story?’ They handed over a piece of paper and said unfortunately they could not get someone that can speak our language.”
Khoisan added that it was said that an interpreter would be available only in November.
He said the court wanted to throw the case out of court but could not do so because Manuel was not there, and it was the second time he did not appear.
“They will only make the decision in the next court appearances,” Khoisan said.
The small group of Khoisan community members has camped in tents just metres from the statue of former president Nelson Mandela.
They want to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa concerning issues of recognition, land, language and the restoration of their identity.
“When we arrived at the Union Buildings just over three years ago we never expected our journey to be this long.
“It was a journey for us to get answers to a memorandum that we had given the deputy president – now the president (Ramaphosa) – where we ask the government to give us the recognition that Khoisan are the First Nation of South Africa. That we need First Nation status.
“We also need the language on the coat of arms to he an official language in South Africa.
“We also need our ancestral land back,” Khoisan said.
Pretoria News