The victim of a brutal assault involving Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s VIP protection guards was moved to tears as he was accused of being a danger and a threat to the presidential convoy.
The driver of the blue VW Polo that was stopped by the officers spent the day testifying in the Randburg Magistrates Court.
Eight police officers, who were briefly suspended and reinstated, face 11 counts of various charges, including assault to cause grievous bodily harm, reckless and negligent driving and assault by way of threat.
Mashatile was not being escorted in any of the vehicles at the time of the attack.
The State’s first witness in the trial against the eight VIP protection officers spent the day looking tense under cross-examination while explaining exactly what happened in July last year on the N1 highway.
Council for the defence, Mshengu Makhubele, laboured the point that the driver was moving at a high speed across the N1 highway near the Malibongwe off-ramp first between the first two faster lanes and then towards the left.
He said the driver ignored signals by the officers to slow down and move away from the presidential convoy and that is when he was viewed as a danger and a threat.
But the witness, who soon turned emotional, questioned why they did not follow the correct procedures to determine if he was indeed a threat.
As Makhubele repeated that he was a danger, the witness teared up, prompting the court to adjourn until Thursday.
-EWN
In other news – Highest-paid Actors in SA revealed
For some time now, the Mzansi film industry has fast become one of the biggest in Africa, leaving many to connect the dots about the salaries of their favourite actors. Who are the highest-paid actors in South Africa? In 2023, entertainment commentator Phil Mphela revealed the salaries of top-tier actors in South Africa. Mphela noted that top-tier actors earn between R150 000 and R200 000 monthly.
However, against his post, celebrated actor Hungani Ndlovu said actors earn less after deductions. In 2014, Generations fired cast members after they demanded better working conditions and salaries. Read More
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