WATCH: TV news anchor Aldrin Sampear apologises for road rage incident

Newzroom Afrika anchor Aldrin Sampear is back at work after apologising for his involvement in a road rage incident.

Sampear was placed on an indefinite leave of absence with immediate effect last month following a recent road rage incident in Johannesburg.

Newzroom Afrika anchor apologises for road rage incident

In a video posted on X by Newzroom Afrika, Sampear apologised to viewers of the news channel, including the “babies” at home who watch him on TV.

His on-air apology did not extend to the motorist his road rage was directed at.

“On the 17th of April, I was involved in a traffic incident which resulted in a confrontation between myself and another driver and having made time to reflect on these events, I want to take full responsibility for my actions.”

WATCH: Aldrin Sampear apologises

@AldrinSampear's apology regarding April 17th incident. pic.twitter.com/u668Er9DNx

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) May 19, 2025

Assault denied

Sampear again denied assaulting the female driver of the other vehicle.

“Although I did not assault the other driver, I believe that I should have been more composed and found a way to de-escalate the situation. I fell short of the standards I hold myself to and, for that, I want to express my regret and sincere apologies to our viewers, my colleagues here at Newsroom Afrika and the management.

ALSO READ: TV news anchor Aldrin Sampear placed on ‘indefinite leave’ after road rage incident [VIDEO]

“I’ve worked really hard to make sense of this experience and the root cause of my response, and I hope that through my actions from now on, to rebuild the trust and the confidence placed in me as I continue on this journey to do better,” Sampear said.

Road rage

Sampear’s apology follows allegations that he physically assaulted a woman driver during a road rage incident in Johannesburg.

Charges of assault have been laid against Newsroom Afrika anchor Aldrin Sampear following a road range incident in Randburg earlier on Thursday @TheCitizen_News pic.twitter.com/gWLp9Q5XFx

— Hein Kaiser (@heinkaiser) April 17, 2025

The incident sparked widespread outrage after a video recorded by a 20-year-old woman identified as  Laricia Augusto went viral on social media.

Augusto told The Citizen that she was travelling to university on Jan Smuts Avenue at the time of the incident. She has laid charges against Sampear.

‘Aggression’

In the video, a distressed Augusto could be heard accusing Sampear of physical aggression.

“He grabbed my arm. I immediately started recording him. That’s when I realised this wasn’t just a fender bender and that this was something else.”

In the video, Sampear accused Augusto of flipping a middle finger at him, which she admitted to.

“You can see him pointing in my face, shouting nonstop. He pushed me, grabbed me again, and hit me,” she said. “I was terrified and genuinely afraid he might seriously hurt me, but I tried not to show it. I kept as calm as I could.”

Sampear denied assaulting Augusto during a phone call with The Citizen a few hours after the incident, but admitted that there was “some truth” to other aspects of the encounter.

ALSO READ: TV news anchor Aldrin Sampear claims road rage video was edited, denies assault