Suspect to appear in court for assault at filling station
After assaulting Malope he continued shopping as if nothing happened.
A man will appear in court in town on April 17 on a charge of assault for allegedly headbutting Bonga Malope (28) at the Parkville filling station on April 4.
Malope was on his way home from work that evening when he stopped at the filling station to buy bread from the shop. His four-yearold niece was with him.
As no parking bays were vacant during the peak-hour rush, he decided to stop on the parking demarcated for disabled people and asked his niece to stay in the vehicle. “I had the cash ready in my hand to just pick up some bread and leave again,” he explained.
Just as he entered the shop, a man confronted him about parking in the bay for disabled people and instructed him to remove his vehicle. Malope explained his dilemma, but the man became aggressive and insisted that he should immediately remove the vehicle.
“As I asked him for a second time to be reasonable and stay calm, he grabbed me around my shoulders and headbutted me. After assaulting me he continued as if nothing happened, collected some items and queued to pay for it before leaving,” Malope said.
Shop attendants who saw the incident came to his help and wiped the blood off his face. A woman who was busy fueling her vehicle also saw what happened and took a photograph of the man’s dark-coloured BMW X3 before he left.
After visiting a doctor to have his face attended to, he laid charges at the local police station.
The next day the management of the filling station also made security camera footage available to Malope and the police.
On Tuesday Sgt Cynthia Mbokodo, spokesman for the White River SAPS, confirmed that the suspect was apprehended and would appear in court on April 17.
WO Timothy Shabangu was the investigating officer.
See the video here.
