Dragging accused cop gets bail
2013-03-21 10:00
Johannesburg - A policeman accused of dragging a man next to
his vehicle has been released on bail by the Mmabatho Magistrate's Court, Beeld
reported on Thursday.
Sergeant Mbali Phetha threw his hands in the air when
magistrate Seth Mmushi granted him R1 000 bail on Wednesday. He faces a charge
of attempted murder.
The State did not oppose bail. The court heard that Phetha
lived within walking distance of the man he is accused of dragging, court
interpreter Morgan Mohlala.
A senior investigator at the Independent Police
Investigative Directorate, Bonisile Koliya, testified on Wednesday that Phetha
and another officer were called to a tuck shop in Setlopo village, near
Mmabatho, on March 7, after a young man and the shop's owner had had an
argument.
The man complained to Mohlala - who was nearby - that the
police had harassed him. Mohlala then told him to come to his house so he could
explain to the youth how to lodge a complaint against the officers.
Phetha, sitting in the police van, overheard this and
allegedly grabbed Mohlala by the neck and dragged him about 100m while driving.
"He was running alongside the police vehicle, but fell
when Phetha accelerated. The vehicle went over his feet," Koliya told the
court.
Phetha is scheduled to appear in the Molopo Magistrate's
Court in Mmabatho on May 2.
He sang and danced outside the court after his release on
bail, while supporters displayed placards proclaiming his innocence.
He has been suspended pending the outcome of an internal
investigation.
- SAPA
