/ 2 April 2009

Woman on ARVs after blue-light bodyguard spits in her eye

A woman is receiving antiretroviral treatment (ARVs) after the Msunduzi mayor’s bodyguard spat in her face during a confrontation on the N3 highway in KwaZulu-Natal, Beeld reported on Thursday.

According to the report, Camperdown police opened a case of intimidation and crimen injuria after Kathleen Drummond was allegedly harassed, forced to the side of the road and spat on twice.

The incident occurred on March 18 near the Umbumbulu off-ramp on the N3 and allegedly involved two bodyguards attached to mayor Zanele Hlatshwayo’s VIP protection unit.

Drummond reportedly had to take ARVs on her doctor’s instructions after the saliva of one of Hlatshwayo’s bodyguards landed in her eye.

Beeld‘s sister newspaper, the Witness, reported that the incident had been kept under wraps by the African National Congress for fear that it might spark a public outcry ahead of the April 22 elections.

Drummond said she was driving towards Durban at about 5pm when a vehicle with a blue light flashed at her to move into the slow lane.

She was overtaking trucks at that stage.

”After moving to the slow lane the driver of the black Golf cut in front and stopped in the emergency lane.

”Another vehicle flashing a blue light signalled me to pull over. When a car with a police light stops me, I always stop,” she said.

She said a man told her to open her window and tried to pull it down after she refused to open it.

”He then leaned towards my window and spat at me and his saliva landed in my eye. He spat again, but the second one landed on the window. After he spat at me and I refused to open the window, they left,” she said.

Municipality spokesperson Ntobeko Ngcobo confirmed that the two bodyguards were on their way to pick up Hlatshwayo from the airport.

”These are the employees of [the] municipality, therefore we are looking into the matter.”

Attempted murder
Meanwhile, blue light VIP escort Constable Hlanganani Nxumalo is due to appear in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court this month to face eight charges of attempted murder and malicious injury to property.

Nxumalo was a passenger in a blue-light escort car on December 11 2008 when he allegedly fired two shots at another car travelling on the N3 highway between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

A tyre on the targeted vehicle exploded and the driver lost control and the car veered across the median and crashed into an oncoming vehicle.

Eight people were injured in the crash. — Sapa