MBOMBELA – A claim for damages against the minister of police for an alleged unlawful arrest was postponed in court last week again.
Mr Juandré Rautenbach instituted a case of wrongful arrest against the minister more than eight months ago, after he and another man were allegedly unlawfully arrested
in 2015.
Rautenbach’s case was scheduled for trial in the Nelspruit Regional Court on last week Monday, but did not continue.
The incident that had led to Rautenbach’s arrest occurred on January 31 last year. He was affiliated with Nelspruit Concerned Citizens (NCC) at the time. “We were informed of a VW Caddy being driven recklessly along the road between Kaapsehoop and Mbombela. The driver was apprehended at Emnotweni Casino,” he previously told Lowvelder.
“We arrived at the scene and Mr Stephen Barnard used his body weight to subdue the driver of the SUV.”
The SAPS arrived on the scene and, according to Rautenbach, the suspect told the police that the two men had launched a racially motivated assault on him.
The two men and the alleged drunk driver were were locked up when they arrived at the police station.
Afterwards Rautenbach learned that they had been charged with assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.
The cases against them have since been withdrawn. Barnard also instituted a case of unlawful arrest against the police, which was settled last year.
Also read: Four rights to remember is you get arrested
Also read: Maintenance Court – an introduction
