SOUTH AFRICA: Ruling elite in scandals over road rage, speeding
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REPORTING FROM JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA -- Nelson Mandela’s grandson kept his license after being caught driving nearly 60 mph over the speed limit, according to the Star newspaper.
The driver for former President Mandela’s ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, was caught allegedly speeding at 93 mph in a 70 mph zone as she was headed to a function, but it’s the police who stopped the car who are now facing charges.
And a ruling African National Congress lawmaker, Litho Suka, admitted he ‘lost the plot and klapped’ -- or hit -- a 35-year-old woman in a road rage incident, the Port Elizabeth Herald reports.
He allegedly punched the woman in the face, knocking out four of her teeth, in front of her 2-year-old child. He had accused her of scratching his gray Mercedes in a suburb of the coastal town of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.
As the ANC government struggles to cut the s high rate of road fatalities by proposing a sharp reduction in the speed limit, critics have accused the country’s legal authorities of overlooking road offenses by the s elite.
The Star reported Thursday that, under the National Road Traffic Act, a person exceeding the speed limit by 18 mph in an urban area should have their license revoked. Yet Mandela’s grandson, Zondwa Mandela, a mining executive, walked free with his license in his pocket Wednesday.
Magistrate Hombakazi Thwele provisionally withdrew the reckless and negligent driving charge on condition that Mandela attend an unspecified court-ordered program.
In the Madikizela-Mandela case, the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, criticized prosecutors for filing charges against two police officers who pulled over the former first lady’s car.
The police officers, Jannie Odendaal and Abel Twala, stopped Madikizela-Mandela’s Audi last December.
According to the police, the bodyguards were aggressive and told them that Madikizela-Mandela was in the car. A heated argument ensued, in which Madikizela-Mandela allegedly shouted at police, using an obscenity, demanding to know who they thought they were. Odendaal, also using an obscenity, responded that he did not care who she was.
The two officers have been charged with intimidation and pointing a firearm.
Kate Lorimer, Democratic Alliance spokeswoman for safety and security, said that if there was enough evidence to prosecute the police, there should be enough evidence for countercharges.
‘If we are truly to believe there is no fault, we must see all the evidence available from both sides. Once again, it looks like a case of special treatment for members of the ANC elite,’ Lorimer said.
Meanwhile, Suka -- the ANC lawmaker who admitted punching 35-year-old Nolusindiso Mazantsi in the face -- may face charges.
Confirming the incident, Mathole Motshekga, the ANC’s chief whip -- a political position that oversees a party’s parliamentary business -- said in a statement that Suka had written him a letter expressing his regret over the incident.
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-- Robyn Dixon