State set to add terrorism-related charges against 61 July 'unrest instigators'
The Durban Magistrate's Court has heard the State intends to add terrorism-related charges to the list of charges against the 61 alleged July unrest instigators.
The suspects were arrested between August and October this year by the Hawks.
They currently face charges including conspiracy to commit public violence, incitement to commit public violence and incitement to commit arson.
The State asked for a lengthy postponement to May, saying it needs time for further investigations.
It wants to go through the data on the over 100 cellphones that have been confiscated from the accused.
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They also will need to deal with over 180 000 documents that involve WhatsApp chats.
The court also heard there's a plan to submit an application to the National Director of Public Prosecutions for terrorism-related charges to the be added.
The attorneys of the accused are opposed to the application.
They argue that the charges are invalid and that the postponement is unconstitutional and discriminates against their clients as the matter has been on the roll for a long time.
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