Mayor in court for assault

2005-02-08 20:43

Riot Hlatshwayo and Merriam Nekavhambe

Phalaborwa - A Limpopo mayor has appeared in court on charges of assaulting a man who allegedly insulted Shangaan people.

BaPhalaborwa municipality mayor Moses Mkhabela is accused of assaulting Matume Johannes Mathole, 33, after he allegedly accused Shangaans of being thieves.

The two men had been drinking at the same tavern in Makhushwane Camp on December 13 last year.

On Monday, the packed Namakgale magistrate's court heard that trouble began when Mathole had asked for the music to be turned down so he could help a woman find her cellphone by phoning it.

Mathole testified that he also asked everyone, including the mayor, to undergo a strip search when the cellphone couldn't be found.

'Victim shouted in SePedi'

Mathole said: "My request did not go down well with the mayor and he hit me in the face with his head."

Mkhabele's lawyer Sidwell Mathonsi told the court his client heard Mathole shouting in Pedi that Shangaans enriched themselves with stolen items.

Mathonsi said the mayor had asked if Mathole was accusing him of being a cellphone thief.

Mathole testified that he was so frightened of Mkhabela that he ran to his car to try to escape, but the mayor punched him while he was in the driver's seat.

Mathole said: "I was helpless because I already had fastened my seatbelt so he hit me as much as he wanted and my car hit a man as well as a wall when I tried to drive off."

The injured man had to be taken to hospital.

Mathole had managed to drive off in his damaged vehicle and reported the attack at a police station.

'Accused helped his mistress'

Mathonsi said the mayor would argue that Mathole hit him first and had threatened to fetch his gun from his car and "blow out" the mayor's brains.

He also pointed out that the woman Mathole was helping was his mistress, even though he'd been married two days earlier.

The case was postponed to March 21 for more witnesses to testify.

- African Eye