Black First, Land First movement leader Andile Mngxitama (centre) appears alongside 26 of his supporters who are facing charges of Public Violence and Trespassing, 19 July 2016, at the Pretoria Magistrate’s court. The group was arrested for storming the office of the public protector. Picture: Alaister Russell
Absa has been granted an urgent interdict against Black First Land First (BLF) stopping the organisation from holding illegal protests against it and its branches.
The BLF can also not enter any Absa branches without permission.
The application was made after a BLF protest at an Absa branch in the Johannesburg CBD became violent and an Absa customer’s arm was allegedly broken.
The branch was also reportedly stoned.
It’s been a busy day for the BLF, which had earlier found itself in the High Court in Johannesburg after an urgent application by the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) and several journalists to interdict the BLF from harassing, intimidating, assaulting and threatening journalists, especially those reporting on state capture.
Earlier, Judge Corrie van der Westhuizen said he was satisfied with the application that was brought forward by Sanef and that the matter had to be heard with urgency. Judgment on the matter was expected on Friday.
Andile Mngxitama, the leader of the BLF has been demanding that Absa pay back money he alleges it received illegally from the Reserve Bank through a bailout of Bankorp in the 1980s.
The public protector has ordered that Absa should repay R1.125, which Absa is challenging in court.
Both and Absa and the Reserve Bank are approaching the high court in the belief that the public protector made fundamental errors in reaching her findings, and even overreached her constitutional powers.
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