GBV Protesters Gather as Xalisa Bail Hearing Postponed

Former EFF MP and current ANC member Zolile Xalisa will spend another weekend behind bars after his bail hearing was postponed to June 24 by the Ezibeleni Magistrate Court on Thursday.

Xalisa appeared in a packed court facing allegations of assaulting his girlfriend on June 8. He was in court for a formal bail application when the matter was postponed. The suspect will remain in custody until June 24, 2026.

The court ordered that police vans, on their way to the cells, pass by Xalisa’s house to confiscate his firearm.

Both the state and the community have opposed bail. Ikora spokesman Thulani Bukani said community members submitted a petition with signatures to oppose the bail application.

*Community protests GBV*
Dozens of community members, activists and faith leaders gathered outside the Ezibeleni court on June 18, 2026 to demonstrate against gender-based violence.

Bukani, speaking outside court, said: “ we salute the community of Ezibeleni and other communities for standing United with us against gender based violence.”

He extended “deepest gratitude and revolutionary appreciation to every community member, activist, youth, woman, elder, faith-based leader, and progressive forces who participated in the court demonstration against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) today”.

Bukani said the turnout sent a clear message: “our communities will no longer be silent while women, children, and vulnerable members of society are subjected to violence, abuse, and terror.”

He called on communities to reject the “dangerous culture of defending perpetrators because they are family members, friends, political comrades, community leaders, or people of influence.”

“Violence is violence, regardless of who commits it and regardless of who the victim is,” Bukani said. “Let us confront GBV wherever it shows its ugly head: in our homes, workplaces, schools, churches, political organisations, and communities.”

The Ikora spokesman said the fight against GBV “is not a one-day event or a single court appearance. It is a continuous struggle to build communities founded on equality, respect, safety, and justice.”

Xalisa’s bail hearing is set for June 24, 2026. He remains in custody until then.