Victims of violence by the eight members of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s VIP protection squad experienced a drastic change in their quality of life.
The third witness in the case disclosed this on Tuesday at the Randburg magistrate’s court.
Following the conclusion of the defence’s cross-examination of the second witness early in August, the case was postponed until Tuesday, when the third witness took the stand.
The owner of the blue Polo Vivo that is the subject of the case is the third witness, according to the state.
The witness, whose identity is withheld per magistrate Abdul Khan’s court order, claimed that she changed the registration on her car out of concern for her safety.
“Even though we knew the incident to be a hijacking, a journalist called me and informed me that a video of my car was trending,” said the witness.
“We ended up locking ourselves in the house because we were scared. I had to change my car registration number. That is how terrified I was.”
She told the court that even though she was not there when the attack happened, she knew the driver was going to take the car and leave with his buddies.
Suspected hijacking
“The car was with him because I could not drive long distances. However, I was aware that he was going to go away with his friends using my car.”
It was only after the victims returned that the witness learnt of the incident.
She claimed that even though the state of her car confused her when she first saw it, she was interested in learning how the driver was feeling.
“I saw the vehicle and rushed to his room, and he had blood on his nose and clothes. He told me that he didn’t remember what happened.
“However, he thinks they were hijacked, and I accepted his explanation.”
Journalists contacted her on multiple occasions, and some even sent her different videos of the same event.
She said: “When I saw the videos, I was confused. I asked one journalist what it was that they were talking about.
“I could see that was my car, and I recognised the driver, but it looked like a dream.”
Out on R10 000 bail each
When questioned about the damage to her car, she stated that it had scratches and dents and that some items inside the car were upside down.
“Before all of that, the car was in a good state. I am very finicky with my car, so I know what it was like when I handed it over to the first witness.
“My vehicle has been quoted between R94 000 and R95 000 to fix due to the violence that occurred on the N1 [highway] in July 2023.”
Charges against the VIP protection team include reckless driving, pointing a gun, intentionally damaging property, and trying to thwart the course of justice.
They are all free on R10 000 bail each and have all entered not guilty pleas.
