Cops 'got VIP crash info wrong'

2009-01-07 22:47

Herman Scholtz and Gloria Edwards

Johannesburg - The police's VIP unit has admitted that "some" of the information it released about a car accident and shooting incident involving the presidential convoy had not been correct, but didn't specify which.

Meanwhile, a prosecutor at the Benoni Magistrate's Court confirmed the statements made by a witness that Chase William van der Walt, 23, whose car crashed into a convoy vehicle, was shot.

This comes after national police spokesperson Director Sally de Beer insisted on Saturday after the incident at the Atlas Road offramp on the N12 highway in Benoni, that Van der Walt had injured his arm in the accident.

Warning shot fired

She then said a red VW Golf had driven too close to the convoy. Motlanthe's guards apparently cut off the Golf just before the accident happened.

De Beer said the Golf's driver ran away and the police fired a warning shot.

The man was taken to hospital to treat an arm wound which, De Beer said, had been sustained in the crash.

However, a witness, Martin van Rensburg from Musina, said members of the VIP unit had shot the man and confiscated an SABC cameraman's film at the scene.

De Beer denied that the man had been shot.

"The newspapers have now gone too far," was her reply to the eyewitness's allegations.

On Wednesday, De Beer issued a statement in which she admitted that "some" of the information given to the media had not been correct.

"The gist of the story was correct; some of the details weren't."

Beeld has confirmed that a charge of attempted murder is being investigated against the VIP guards involved.

In court on negligent driving

On Tuesday, Van der Walt appeared in the Benoni Magistrate's Court on charges of reckless and negligent driving.

He was released on R500 bail and the case was postponed until January 13 pending further investigations.

A prosecutor at the court said unconfirmed reports that Van der Walt had been driving with more than the permitted level of alcohol in his bloodstream will be investigated.

The prosecutor confirmed that Van der Walt had indeed been shot.

On Tuesday, Beeld reported that the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) was going to launch an in-depth inquiry into the VIP unit's behaviour.

De Beer asked all parties not to compare Saturday's incident to other controversial incidents in which VIP members had been involved.

"Keeping the president safe is a difficult task and one which his protectors take very seriously."

· An earlier version of this story had the headline 'We lied - VIP unit'

- Beeld