/ 10 June 1999

MTHEMBU INCIDENT UNRESOLVED

POLICE are awaiting the results of forensic tests on a wrecked government Mercedes Benz before deciding whether to charge Mpumalanga’s transport MEC Jackson Mthembu with reckless driving or not. It is still unclear whether Mthembu was physically driving the vehicle or was merely a passenger, during a predawn accident in Witbank three weeks ago. Mthembu has publicly admitted that he doesn’t have a drivers’ license but insists that his official government driver, Thomas Shongwe, was behind the wheel when the car spun out of control. Two witnesses and police have disputed Mthembu’s version of events. They all alleged that Mthembu was driving and only later called for Shongwe to come to the scene. Mthembu backed out of a promised public polygraph test to prove his innocence two weeks ago.