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Diane Attwell, a Port Elizabeth resident, is cleared of liability.
Malibongwe Diamonds, News24
- The state has dropped criminal charges against physical education homemaker Dianne Attwell, News24 has been told.
- The announcement was made by Attwell’s attorney, Alwyn Griebenow, on Friday.
- Attwell was charged with pointing a firearm after she was filmed pointing her 7.65 pistol at EFF members protesting during the Clicks shutdown action.
Dianne Attwell, 52, the woman who was accused of pointing a firearm at EFF members inside a shopping mall in September, is a free woman.
His attorney Alwyn Griebenow confirmed this to News24 on Friday, when he was due to appear in Port Elizabeth Magistrates Court.
The case had been postponed since its first appearance in September for further investigation.
Griebenow said that after the first appearance, he presented representations to the offices of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) which were successful.
READ | PE Buyer Accused of Aiming Gun at Clicks EFF Protesters Makes First Court Appearance
He said his office received a notice from the DPP on Wednesday informing him that they would not pursue any further criminal proceedings against Attwell.
“A nolle prosequi the certificate was issued. Today in court the charges against Dianne Attwell were dropped and the court was informed that it was in fact a decision of the director of public prosecution that Dianne Attwell did not commit any crime in light of the video footage, “Griebenow said.
The lawyer said the DPP’s decision was based on images of the incident, statements in the police file, as well as representations made by his office on the matter.
National Tax Authority spokeswoman Anelisa Ngcakani said she would respond once she gathered data on Griebenow’s claims.
Attwell found herself in trouble after being involved in a fight with members of the EFF during a protest in front of Clicks at Walmer Shopping Mall.
MUST SEE | Shopper pulls out gun against EFF members protesting
She was captured on video drawing a gun and pointing it at EFF members during a shouting match in the mall lobby.
Fight
In a statement, mall manager Leonie Scheepers said the fight broke out after Attwell allegedly began filming a meeting of the Red Berets outside a Clicks store.
He said that mall security warned him to stop filming protesters demonstrating over an offensive advertisement for Clicks hair products.
Attwell’s 7.65 pistol was confiscated by police at the time.
Video of the incident went viral in September showing Atwell being escorted by four mall security guards away from a group of about four screaming EFF members.
EFF members were seen in the footage stalking and taunting Attwell yelling “damn it, go back to Europe.”
Attwell stopped suddenly and pulled a pistol from inside his jacket and pointed at the EFF members.
They replied, “shoot shoot”.
Yazini Tetyana, president of the EFF Eastern Cape province, said the party “enjoys irritating whites.”
He said that the confrontation was a demonstration that the EFF irritated the whites and that the party liked it.
He was not available for comment on Friday.
The protests came after Clicks published a TRESemme hair product that described two images of black hair as “dry” and “damaged” and “frizzy” and dull, “while white hair was described as” fine. ” and “flat” and “normal”.
