New video footage: Rage incident at Crossing Centre attracts attention
Verbal abuses were repeated several times. One of them told me that I clearly had no respect for black women and that I regarded them as lowly housemaids. "You f***ing boer, we do not wash your underpants.
NELSPRUIT – A public spectacle erupted in Crossing’s parking lot on Friday afternoon during which a well-known media consultant was assaulted with a car jack and a wheel spanner after he had accidentally nicked the side mirror of a woman’s expensive German car on opening the door of his vehicle.
No visible damage was done.
Shocked shoppers listened as the woman called him a “f***ing boer” and proceeded to damage his camera and hit him with a jack.
The incident occurred at about 15:30. Mr Marius Bakkes, editor of Routes & Destinations parked at the centre to do shopping for a dinner he had to prepare that evening.
When he opened the door of his Land Rover Defender, it touched the mirror of a black Mercedes Benz E-class with the registration number Kolo MP.
In a media statement issued by Bakkes after enquiries over the weekend, he said the matter has since been resolved.
He related what further transpired as follows: “As I exited my vehicle I was immediately approached by a black woman who was quite upset. I inspected her vehicle for possible damage done, but couldn’t see any,” Bakkes said.
He went into the store and on his return, the Mercedes was parked sideways behind his Land Rover, blocking it.
“The same woman and another female immediately started screaming insults at me. It was quite a shocking experience,” Bakkes recalled.
“Verbal abuses were repeated several times. One of them told me that I clearly had no respect for black women and that I regarded them as lowly housemaids. “You f***ing boer, we do not wash your underpants.”
By then the incident had attracted quite a crowd. Bakkes said he remained totally calm and requested the woman to bring her vehicle to him on Monday.
“I would have had any possible damage assessed and fixed. She screamed how expensive her vehicle was and that I couldn’t have it fixed.
“At that stage I realised it had become a messy situation. I stood publicly accused and realised the incident would need further explanation.
“I fetched a camera from my vehicle and tried to photograph the incident for later criminal and media clarity. I also requested members of the public behind me to make video recordings if they could and to contact the police.”
Seeing the camera annoyed both women even more. “They were livid and produced a jack and wheel spanner and started to attack me.
“One of these blows damaged my camera, which I then exchanged for another in my car. This went on for quite a while with them attacking me while I was trying to record the matter visually.”
Two police officials arrived and the women drove off. Bakkes identified the officials as Consts Matsie and Sambo and described them as extremely unhelpful.
“They didn’t even get out of their vehicle. I asked them for advice on how to resolve the matter, but they remained uninterested and unwilling to take down a statement. They didn’t even have stationery with which to take down a statement from me or any of the witnesses at hand at the time.”
“Mr Jacques Meiring of Bossie’s Community Justice advised me to go to the police station. There I found the two women – one of them identified herself as Nompundiso. I was told she was a qualified attorney.”
After initially being sent from pillar to post at the police station, Bakkes was finally told by a warrant officer that the women didn’t want to press charges and would like to discuss the possibility of resolving the matter.
“I was taken to a room where they had been waiting. Here I was told that they were quite influential people and that my earlier attitude had offended them. I explained that my attitude was never abusive towards anyone and that I was prepared to have any supposed damage to their vehicle repaired.”
Bakkes himself didn’t lay any charges of assault as he had no visible scars.
Lowvelder contacted Nompundiso for comment. She said she didn’t want the story in the press as she and Bakkes had resolved the matter.
This newspaper asked her if she had called him a “f***ing boer” at which she asked this journalist if he had called her a “k***er?”
“I don’t know. Did he? That is why I am providing you with the opportunity to comment and tell me your side of the story,” the journalist replied.
“I am going to sue you. Write what you want, I am going to sue you. I do not wish to comment further,” she concluded.
Bakkes replied in his statement, “I want to complete this media reply by stating categorically that at no stage in the course of this incident did anyone hear me using any foul language or verbal abuse against any person.”
Watch the video here:
The incident which takes place in this video occured towards the end of the public confrontation.
