Was Mandoza driving? - police
2010-02-15 23:10
Johannesburg - New evidence suggests that kwaito artist Mandoza was not the driver of a Mini Cooper that crashed into a palm tree in Weltevreden Park, north-west Johannesburg, at the weekend, metro police said on Monday.
Police spokesperson Edna Mamonyane said: "Apparently, when the first tow truck driver arrived on the scene, they found Mandoza injured and bleeding in the back seat of the car... so there's a possibility he was never alone in that car.
"There were two sharp wires in the back of the car that were sticking out and Mandoza had a long cut on his forehead, [suggesting] that he could have been cut by the wires.
"There was not even one drop of blood in the front of the car... definitely, there were other occupants," said Mamonyane.
The cut to the forehead could not have been caused by the steering wheel and the windscreen did not break during the accident, she added.
Mamonyane said the metro police officer on the scene phoned the owner of the car, who has not been identified, and told him to visit the crash scene.
"He [the owner] never showed any shock at the accident. He was requested to come to the scene.
"My officer says he had to repeatedly call and ask where he was. Forty-five minutes later he had to call him again and ask, 'where are you?'...
"When he [the owner] got to the scene he was reeking of alcohol, he stank like the brewery tank," said Mamonyane.
Alcohol
While the metro officer waited on the accident scene for the owner to arrive, Mandoza was taken to hospital in an ambulance.
Mamonyane said once her officer had cleared the crash scene he went to the Helen Joseph hospital to interview Mandoza, whose real name is Mduduzi Tshabalala.
The officer reported that Mandoza did not smell of alcohol but that he was very confused and did not know where he was.
"My officer went to the doctor... he [Mandoza] had not even the smallest fume of alcohol...."
If the entertainer was intoxicated, it was not on alcohol.
No tests were ordered to check if drugs or alcohol were in Mandoza's system.
Mamonyane said by the time her officer arrived at the hospital, it was too late to do the tests.
He was late because he was waiting for the owner of the Mini to arrive at the crash and gave permission to have the car towed away.
Mamonyane said she was unaware of reports that plastic bags with white powder were found in the car.
Missing pieces
Several newspapers reported on Monday that Mandoza had taken his friend's car without permission after he had a fight with his wife.
Mamonyane said the owner of the car declined to take the metro officer to the security complex from where the car had been taken.
The metro officer wanted to corroborate his story that Mandoza had been seen by complex security guards driving the car.
The officer on the scene also urged the owner to lay a charge with the police that his friend had taken his car without consent, but no case had been opened by Monday morning, said Mamonyane.
"There are still a lot of missing pieces in this puzzle," she said.
Mamonyane said the police were investigating the possibility that Mandoza had been sleeping on the back seat while someone else had driven the car.
A case of reckless and negligent driving has been opened.
Mandoza was found of guilty of culpable homicide after a crash on the N1 North highway in March 2008 in which two people were killed.
He pleaded guilty in December 2008 and was given a suspended sentence of three years and nine months.
- SAPA