Sjambok-murder suspect quits ANC
Patrick Wisani, a former ANCYL leader charged with sjambokking his girlfriend to death, has resigned from the party.
|||Johannesburg - Patrick Wisani, a former ANC Youth League leader charged with sjambokking his girlfriend to death, has resigned from the party pending the outcome of the case.
In a letter written by Wisani to ANC leaders and seen by The Star, he excused himself from all ANC and youth league activities.
Wisani was the ANCYL Inner City (Zone 12) chairman last September when he allegedly beat 24-year-old Nosipho Mandleleni to death with a sjambok and broomstick in Yeoville.
Wisani’s resignation comes after a failed attempt last month to relax his bail conditions so that he could take part in the local government elections. He said at the time that relaxing his bail conditions would allow him to attend branch meetings and enable him to assist in election campaigns.
Wisani’s bail conditions stipulate that he may not enter Yeoville because of the possibility that he could interfere with witnesses.
The application was denied after magistrate Paul du Plessis insisted that there were solid reasons why Wisani had been told he was not allowed to enter Yeoville.
However, ANC Youth League Gauteng spokeswoman Mbali Hlophe said she found Wisani’s letter strange, given that he had been suspended as chairman after the murder charge was laid against him.
“It’s strange and bizarre that he would be writing a letter as though everything was carrying on as normal,” she said.
During a brief appearance in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, Wisani was told his case will be transferred to the high court.
His lawyer Mpho Selepe, however, asked that the matter be postponed before being transferred so that he could look for an available advocate to represent Wisani in the high court.
He also said he needed to make sure that Wisani had sufficient funds to pay an advocate.
“We need to sort out fees. It needs to be canvassed with the accused so that at a later stage, he doesn’t find himself without a legal representative,” he said.
Du Plessis postponed the matter to next month.
Members of Sonke Gender Justice, People Opposing Women Abuse and Johannesburg’s Catholic Peace and Justice protested outside court.
Sonke spokeswoman Nonhlanhla Skosana was pleased the case was being moved to the high court.
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The Star