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A VIP Protection Unit member charged with shooting at a private vehicle in KZN in 2008 said he opened fire because the driver was a danger to him.
Constable Hlanganani Nxumalo, then a bodyguard for kwaZulu-Natal social development MEC Meshack Radebe, admitted in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court that he fired shots during the incident. His action injured eight people when the target car crashed - and spawned a public outcry into the bully-boy tactics of officials whose "blue light" limos ignored speed limited and forced frightened drivers off the highways, Banana Republic style.
Nxumalo was with a colleague, Caiphus Ndlela, during the shooting. They were on their way to collect Radebe in Hammarsdale.
DRIVER POSED A THREAT?
Nxumalo is said to have shot out the tyre of a Mazda car near Camperdown. The driver lost control, veered into oncoming traffic, and collided head-on with a bakkie.
Nxumalo told the court the Mazda's driver posed a danger to them and had tried to bump them off the road. He said he had warned the driver to slow down 9and get out of the way) by signalling to him and that his attempts had been met with "a middle-finger response".
Nxumalo told the court he reached for his gun and fired warning shots when it became clear the driver would not give way.
Asked why he and Ndlela had not overtaken the Mazda, Nxumalo said he could not give a response as he was not driving.
The trial continues and Ndlela is expected to take the stand today (October 11).
Constable Hlanganani Nxumalo, then a bodyguard for kwaZulu-Natal social development MEC Meshack Radebe, admitted in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court that he fired shots during the incident. His action injured eight people when the target car crashed - and spawned a public outcry into the bully-boy tactics of officials whose "blue light" limos ignored speed limited and forced frightened drivers off the highways, Banana Republic style.
Nxumalo was with a colleague, Caiphus Ndlela, during the shooting. They were on their way to collect Radebe in Hammarsdale.
DRIVER POSED A THREAT?
Nxumalo is said to have shot out the tyre of a Mazda car near Camperdown. The driver lost control, veered into oncoming traffic, and collided head-on with a bakkie.
Nxumalo told the court the Mazda's driver posed a danger to them and had tried to bump them off the road. He said he had warned the driver to slow down 9and get out of the way) by signalling to him and that his attempts had been met with "a middle-finger response".
Nxumalo told the court he reached for his gun and fired warning shots when it became clear the driver would not give way.
Asked why he and Ndlela had not overtaken the Mazda, Nxumalo said he could not give a response as he was not driving.
The trial continues and Ndlela is expected to take the stand today (October 11).
