The Jackie Selebi corruption trial was disrupted on Tuesday morning when an unknown woman shouted loudly at chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel that he should rather investigate her case than dragging Selebi to court.
The woman and her partner held up a banner with Aids ribbons when advocate Marumo Moerane started to argue before Judge Meyer Joffe. Moerane, on behalf of State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele, is applying for leave to appeal Joffe’s ruling last week that former intelligence coordinator Barry Gilder should testify in Selebi’s case.
Just as Moerane was starting to argue, the Aids banner went up and Joffe adjourned proceedings for ‘the protest in court†to be sorted out.
When Joffe left the courtroom, the woman started screaming at Nel, saying the he should recognise her because she previously complained to him about her husband’s death.
Nel said she looks vaguely familiar and then left the courtroom with his other members of the Scorpions.
The woman proceeded to complain about the handling of her case, which sounded like a pensions-related dispute. At one stage she said she wanted Nel to prosecute Investec bank for not paying her out money owed to her.
When she refused to leave the courtroom out of own will, a police officer and a bodyguard dragged her from court. This was after she ripped off her dress and kicked off her shoes. Court proceedings returned to normal 15 minutes later.