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By Siviwe Feketha 
4h ago
Johannesburg – The police officer at the center of the assault charges against EFF leader Julius Malema and MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has reiterated his claim that the two assaulted him while trying to prevent them from entering the Fourways Memorial Park cemetery during the icon’s burial. of the Winnie Madikizela fight. -Mandela in 2018.
Johannes Venter, who is attached to the Presidential Unit and was in charge of access control that day, was the state’s first witness on Wednesday when the trial began in Randburg Magistrates Court.
EFF supporters flocked by the hundreds to support Malema and Ndlozi, with a heavy police presence in the area.
Inside the courtroom, Venter reported that Malema and Ndlozi pushed him several times after he told them that they could not drive to the cemetery, but that they were allowed in because their vehicle did not have a permit.
“The driver informed me that the EFF leader was inside the vehicle. I looked around the back of the vehicle and saw that Mr. Malema was inside the vehicle and I greeted him.
I then informed Mr. Malema that the vehicle cannot enter, but that they were more than welcome to enter. That is together with the other people and guests.
“Malema said that he will not enter and that he will enter. He was still inside the vehicle, ”Venter said.
Venter said he then asked Malema and those he was traveling with to wait while he asked the site’s operations center for permission.
“While I was standing in front of the vehicle, they pushed me from the right side. I can’t tell who pushed me. When I turned around and looked back, I saw Mr. Malema jumping out of the vehicle and saying ‘no white man will stop me’.
“While I was still in the front of the vehicle, they pushed me to the left of the vehicle,” he said.
He said Malema and Ndlozi had pressed him “hard” repeatedly.
“They pushed me so hard that I lost my balance. They pushed me so hard that I fell against the cemetery gate. At that moment, General Zulu came up to me and said ‘go, go,’ ”he said.
Video footage of Venter entangled in a fight with Malema and Ndlozi was shown in court, where the vehicle in which the EFF leaders were driving could be seen entering the cemetery as the fight continued, before they went up.
Malema and Ndlozi have pleaded not guilty. The trial continues.
Political Bureau
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