Ndlozi

EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi is to testify before court for allegedly assaulting a police officer. PHOTO: Twitter/@EFFSouthAfrica

EFF’s Malema and Ndlozi assault case postponed for judgement

EFF leader Julius Malema and MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi will be handed down judgment on their assault case in September.

Ndlozi

EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi is to testify before court for allegedly assaulting a police officer. PHOTO: Twitter/@EFFSouthAfrica

EFF leader Julius Malema and his co-accused Mbuyiseni Ndlozi will hear their fate in September on their matter of allegedly assaulting a police officer.

The two re-appeared before the Randburg Magistrates Court on Friday. This time, EFF MP Ndlozi testified on his recollection of events that happened in April 2018 at the funeral of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

NDLOZI WAS PROTECTING THEIR VEHICLE

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Ndlozi detailed that he pushed the officer, Lieutenant Colonel Johannes Jacobus Venter, in an attempt to move him away from the vehicle which the officer tried to stop.

Cross-examined by State Prosecutor Michelle Hart on his intentions on the day of the alleged assault, Ndlozi said he was trying to defend the vehicle which Venter had stopped from entering the cemetery.

“I asked him what he was doing. He said we are not allowed to enter. His force was on the car… my plan was to ensure he is far away from the vehicle.”

Mbuyiseni Ndlozi

Hart replayed the CCTV footage evidence which showed Malema first pushing Venter, followed by Ndlozi who further pushed the officer towards a wall.

Ndlozi
EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi is to testify before court for allegedly assaulting a police officer. PHOTO: Twitter/@EFFSouthAfrica

I WAS PROTECTING MY FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

The EFF MP said he was merely protecting his right to freedom of movement as they were mourning a loved one.

“I felt fundamentally violated; denied our freedom to movement or to access the cemetery. But we were denied the dignity to mourn someone we had a relationship with. It was a fundamental humiliation and that’s how I felt at the time.”

Ndlozi said he grabbed Venter’s arm in an attempt to talk with him but claims Venter instead pulled his arm away. During that time, he simultaneously pushed Ndlozi. The EFF MP compared Venter’s size to that of a mountain.

“When I realised Venter was not cooperating with Malema, I tried to pull him. I grabbed his hand, trying to remove him from the car. He was too strong.”

“His manner was not to have a conversation. I pulled him aside to have a conversation. Obviously, that was the intention of pulling him… I pushed back to a physical mountain of a man who denied me entry,” said Ndlozi.

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NDLOZI AND MALEMA TO HEAR JUDGMENT IN A FEW MONTHS

The court adjourned due to expected loadshedding, but judgment is expected to be handed down on 29 September.

In the meantime, the State and the defence will submit their closing arguments.

Ndlozi and Malema are accused of assaulting Venter at the funeral of the late struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The two were denied access for apparently not having the necessary credentials, despite them claiming they did.

The pair had pleaded not guilty to the charge.

rorisang@thesouthafrican.com