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Len Cloete starts rehabilitation process, one month after being shot in head by cop
Cloete was shot in the head after grabbing a female officer's service pistol during an argument.
Len Cloete has reportedly regained consciousness after being shot in the head. Photo: Screengrab from video
Len Cloete is reportedly set to start with his rehabilitation process after being shot in the head by a police officer at a hotel in Muldersdrift in November.
Last week, Cloete regained consciousness after the 59-year-old man had been kept in a coma by doctors.
He underwent two operations on his brain and skull. After coming out of his coma, his wife, Chantal, reportedly asked Cloete to wink if he could hear her, which he did.
The 59-year-old will now undergo the process of rehabilitation.
“He is strong enough. He is awake, can open and close his eyes and has been taken off sedation,” private investigator Luke Enslin told TimesLive.
Shooting
Cloete was shot by a police officer at the Misty Hills Country Hotel after becoming embroiled in an altercation with the cops.
The police were called to the scene after Cloete allegedly started fighting with staff members at the lodge.
A video of the incident has since widely circulated on social media.
In the video, Cloete can then be heard asking where his gun is. A female police officer then says “now you are playing dangerous”.
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“Who’s playing dangerous?” Cloete asks as he returns with a gun in his hand.
After shouting at the police officers, Cloete then grabs the female police officer’s service pistol, prompting another cop to shoot Cloete in the head.
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) defended the way the officers handled the situation, saying their actions were completely justified.
“The officers found their lives were in danger and acted accordingly, which must be deemed as justifiable,” the union said in a statement.
Probe
As soon as Cloete woke up, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) indicated that it will try talk to the 59-year-old regarding the shooting.
“We are not able to interview him at this stage. We will wait for the point of recovery where he will be able to explain and recall what happened on the day of the incident.
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“We do not want to put pressure [on Cloete] as whatever he says will be under oath and will be used in the court of law, so we need to be patient with his journey to recovery,” Ipid spokesperson Grace Langa said last Friday.
The Ipid is investigating the incident – including whether police acted lawfully when they shot Cloete.
The directorate previously said there was no reason to arrest any of the police officers at the scene.
According to Rekord, a case of assault and malicious damage to property was also opened by the police against Cloete.
