Drama unfolds outside court at Duduzane’s appearance
BLF members shoved journos, called AfriForum chief ‘a settler and racist’
THERE was drama outside the Randburg Magistrate’s Court when former president Jacob Zuma’s son, Duduzane, made an appearance on a culpable homicide charge.
Reports of the former president arriving with a VIP protection unit to support his son added to the drama, although he is said to have remained in his vehicle.
Black First Land First (BLF) members got into a heated confrontation with lobby group AfriForum chief executive officer Kallie Kriel, calling him “a settler and racist”.
The members, including its leader Andile Mngxitama, got angry when they saw Kriel talking to journalists following Zuma’s brief appearance in the court yesterday.
When Zuma left the court, BLF members shoved journalists, preventing them from questioning him.
Zuma’s day in court for the February 2014 motor accident which claimed the lives of two women came after AfriForum announced that it would privately prosecute him.
This was after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had declined to prosecute him despite a ruling by Randburg magistrate Lalitha Chetty that he had been negligent.
It was only after AfriForum said they would privately prosecute Zuma that the NPA brought the charges against him.
Phumzile Dube died at the scene after Zuma lost control and crashed his Porsche into a taxi.
Another passenger, Nanki Jeanette Mashaba, died in hospital a few weeks later.
BLF members hurled insults at Kriel, who tried to keep calm and laughed as he responded to them.
Zuma seemed calm as he spoke to relatives, including his sister Duduzile, in the public gallery. He occasionally smiled at journalists.
The media has been granted permission to broadcast the proceedings of the case.
After the case was postponed to August 23, Duduzane would not be drawn to comment on the matter or his feelings.
His court appearance came three days after he was released on bail of R100 000 following his appearance on corruption charges on Monday at the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Johannesburg in relation to his alleged involvement in bribery attempts by the Guptas in relation to former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas in 2016.
He arrived in shackles to a media contingent outside and inside the courtroom before he was formally charged with a count of corruption, with an alternative count of conspiracy to commit corruption.
The eldest Gupta brother, Ajay, is alleged to have offered Jonas the post of finance minister together with R600 000 cash if he agreed, in a move that has been claimed to be one of the controversial family’s boldest attempts to capture the Treasury.