Julius Malema and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi won
The Randburg magistrate’s court ruled EFF leader Julius Malema and MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi not guilty of assaulting a police officer. The ruling was made on Thursday
The “evidence in its completeness verifies the version” of Malema and Ndlozi, who he claimed had not contradicted themselves when testifying in the trial. Magistrate Leiland Poonsamy found inconsistencies in the state’s case.
Lt. Col. Johannes Jacobus Venter claimed the two approached him when he was attending Winnie Madikizela-burial Mandela’s in April 2018.
At the Fourways Memorial Park cemetery, Venter was in charge of providing security for the president, former presidents, and ministers.
He stated during his testimony in October 2020 that they were told to only let the president and his immediate family into the cemetery. They were informed that the funeral services would be broadcast live on satellite TV from the stadium, where the remaining mourners would remain.
He informed Julius Malema that their vehicle was not allowed to enter since he had not seen a permit on it. He was pushed aside as Malema and Ndlozi entered the cemetery.
Ndlozi stated: “We were denied our freedom to move or access the cemetery” when he took the witness stand in July. We were not given the respect to mourn someone with whom we had a connection. It was a severe embarrassment.
Malema testified in court in June that “It was a very difficult day, a very emotional day. I got involved in politics when I was very young, and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela raised me. Being so close to her, I couldn’t fathom being prevented from burying her.
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