EAST LONDON-Simphiwe ‘Bhuti Gabs’ Mtshala voluntarily turned himself in to the police station and East London Magistrates Court despite the fact that the SAPS had withdrawn the case against him last week and stated that the case had solid merit.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Mtshala expressed his willingness to be arrested numerous times for reclaiming land stating, “I am more than willing to fight for my land and be arrested 100 times. I am also more than ready to be arrested for assisting Yakhe Kwinana to reclaim and regain her Land.”
He further denounced the current South African law system as biased against black people saying, “If this is what we fought and voted for is called Liberation, then we fought for wrong reasons.”
Meanwhile, the tensions surrounding Mtshala’s case have spilled over into other aspects of life in East London as taxi drivers in the area have launched a total shutdown in protest of his arrest. The shutdown has had a significant impact on the Scholar Transport service, leaving many learners stranded at various pick-up points and disrupting the education system.
The Provincial SAPS have not been able to provide clarity on Mtshala’s decision to hand himself over to the authorities, saying that the reasons for his action are unknown and must be kept confidential.