Justice Minister Ronald Lamola says his department is in the process of assisting Fees Must Fall activist Kanya Cekeshe with an application to get a presidential pardon from Cyril Ramaphosa, following the dismissal of his bid to appeal his conviction and eight year sentence.
In a tweet published on Monday afternoon, shortly after the court made its ruling, Lamola took to Twitter to share the news.
"We note the dismissal of both the leave to appeal and bail for fees must fall activists Khaya Cekeshe by the Johannesburg Magistrate Court.
"We’re in the process of urgently assisting him with an application for presidential pardon or other legally available avenues," Lamola tweeted.Fees Must Fall activist Kanya Cekeshe's application for leave to appeal his conviction and to be granted bail has been dismissed in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court.
Magistrate Thenis Carstens said there was no merit to the argument put forward by Cekeshe and his defence.
"As far as the court is concerned, it is crystal clear that the applicant admitted all the relevant allegations in the charge sheet. There are no discrepancies between the allegations in charge
"It is not in the interest of justice to grant him bail."
Cekeshe is the last Fees Must Fall activist to still be in prison.
He applied for leave to appeal his conviction and was granted bail after his conviction in 2017.
Cekeshe was convicted of public violence and malicious damage to property after he tried to set a police van alight during the protests.
He received an eight-year sentence and has been in the Leeuwkop Correctional Services in Bryanston.
