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Cape Town - Rhodes Must Fall activist Chumani Maxele was arrested outside Parliament on Thursday after he had thrown his weight behind a group of pensioners demanding outstanding funds.
"I have been arrested by the police in front of Parliament for talking with elderly people who are now in front of Parliament asking for their money that they worked for during apartheid government. I am in the central police station Cape Town. ?#MoneyForOurParentNow," he posted on Facebook.
Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andre Traut said a 32-year-old man was arrested outside Parliament on Thursday morning for alleged incitement to commit a crime.
He did not provide details of the alleged incitement. Earlier Maxwele said the pensioners - who have been sitting on the pavement for the past three weeks - would block the entrance gates to Parliament until they got their money.
He was outraged by the way the pensioners had been treated, saying they had fought against apartheid and were from the era of late struggle stalwart Oliver Tambo.
Drivers had to turn away as old men sat on the ground at the entrance to the precinct's parking garage. The visitors' centre was closed as another group blocked the space near the entrance by gathering around the steps.
Money ‘goes back to 1959’
Parliament had opened a lower gate to allow vehicle access.
"The money goes back to 1959 and we didn't get it yet,'' said 85-year-old Milton Maweni from East London, as police kept watch.
From time to time, the younger women among the group sang to attract the attention of passing motorists.
Their representative, Michael Matshaye, said that the group had expected its money on Thursday and were upset that nothing had come through yet.
He said this was in terms of an agreement with Parliament signed on April 20.
Further information was not immediately available from Parliament, but the pensioners said they would only leave once their phones had beeped to indicate the deposits.
Matshaye said the case might go to the Constitutional Court and a meeting with a lawyer was planned for Thursday afternoon.
