Public violence, trespassing, assault, and kidnapping are the serious false charges that twenty six Black First Land First members (also known as the #BLF26) are still facing 21 months after their arrest on Mandela Day in 2016. BLF has repeatedly reported that it is shocking that the state, that evidently doesn’t have a shred of evidence on any of the charges, persists in proceeding nonetheless.

The charges suggest a serious dispute as to what really happened on 18 July 2016 when the #BLF26 protested against the conduct of the former Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, in that she was deliberately not paying attention to white corruption. To this end she did not finalize her reports on the two major matters that BLF had referred to her namely: a complaint regarding R26 billion stolen by apartheid era white capitalists which has been on her table since 2011; and another complaint of state capture by white monopoly capital involving Johann Rupert and eight other apartheid era white capitalists and politicians. Johann Rupert has since Madonsela’s departure from the Public Protectors Office, given her a prominent position under him at the University of Stellenbosch – just for protecting white interests and not bringing him to book.

While there can be no revolutionary justice via the colonial courts, the #BLF26 maintains that the complete lack of evidence on the part of the state would make it very difficult for the this court to convict them.

The #BLF26 will appear tomorrow, 09 April 2018 at 09h00 in the Pretoria Regional Court which is at the corner of Francis Baard & Sophie De Bruyn Streets in Pretoria.

Issued by Black First Land First, National Coordinating Committee (BLF NCC)

08 April 2018

Black First Land First Email:[email protected]
Facebook: Black First Land First
Twitter: @black1stland1st
Website: www.blf.org.za

Zanele Lwana
(Deputy President)
Cell: +27799867225

Lindsay Maasdorp
(National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 79 915 2957

Brian Tloubatla
(Head of Media & Communications)
Cell: +27 82 216 7664