Concerned citizens in court on assault charges
"What I find astonishing, is the fact that the driver of the Caddy was not charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. He was not breathalysed nor was his blood drawn. This was not done while we were charged with assault." - Mr Stephen Barnard, accused
Two members of the Nelspruit Concerned Citizens (NCC) who recently ended up in Mbombela SAPS holding cells, appeared in court last Tuesday.
Messrs Juandré Rautenbach and Stephen Barnard were accused of assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm after they arrested a man who was allegedly driving recklessly on the road between Kaapsehoop and Mbombela on January 31.
“We were informed that somebody was driving a VW Caddy recklessly and the driver was apprehended at Emnotweni Casino,” Rautenbach explained. He said the suspect was very aggressive and reeked of alcohol. Nelspruit Post previously reported that Rautenbach’s attempts to calm him were apparently met with threats and violence.
“When the SAPS arrived on the scene, the driver of the VW Caddy told the officers that we had launched a racially motivated assault on him. Although we denied this, Barnard, the Caddy driver, his passenger and I were taken to the police station where we were placed under arrest.” According to Rautenbach, these arrests were unlawful. “We were not informed regarding the charges against us during the arrest. We were directed to sign documents stating that our rights had been read to us, even though this was not the case.”
Rautenbach and Barnard appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on February 2.
The charges against Rautenbach were withdrawn. The charge against Barnard was reduced to assault. His case was transferred to another district courtroom and postponed until May 5.
“What I find astonishing, is the fact that the driver of the Caddy was not charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. He was not breathalysed nor was his blood drawn. This was not done while we were charged with assault.”
Sgt Gerald Sedibe, provincial spokesman of the SAPS, confirmed that the driver of the Caddy has been charged with reckless and negligent driving.
“The incident as a whole is under investigation by the provincial police and has been transferred to the detectives,”
he said.
