A bodyguard to KwaZulu-Natal's former social development MEC Meshack Radebe was found not guilty on six charges of attempted murder by the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court on Monday.
Hlanganani Nxumalo was however found guilty of illegally discharging his firearm. His colleague Caiphus Ndlela was found guilty of negligent driving.
The case was adjourned to July 26, when the defence intended calling more witnesses.
The charges related to an accident in which six people were injured on the N3 highway near Durban in November 2008.
Nxumalo claimed during his trial that he fired warning shots in the air because the driver of the car in front of him had applied his brakes.
However, the prosecution argued Nxumalo’s decision to fire caused Anuvasen Moodley, the driver of the other vehicle, to lose control of his car and veer across the highway into oncoming traffic, colliding with a bakkie.
Nxumalo and his co-accused insisted the accident was caused by Moodley’s refusal to give way to the vehicle with flashing blue lights.
The pair were on their way to pick up Radebe from Hillcrest so he could inspect storm damage at Molweni, when the shooting took place.
The case attracted much public attention at the time and saw opposition parties, especially the Democratic Alliance, calling for a ban on the use of blue lights.
In April this year the SA Human Rights Commission called for a review of the guidelines on the use of blue lights.