Attack about race: UFS student

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File photo

Published Aug 4, 2014

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Bloemfontein - A fifth year student at the University of the Free State told the Bloemfontein Regional Court on Monday that the discussion around his alleged assault should focus on race.

“The discussion here should be about race, because of my black skin and their white skin,” Muzi Gwebu told regional magistrate Rasheed Matthews.

Two fellow students Cobus Muller and Charl Blom face charges in relation to an alleged assault and reckless driving incident involving Gwebu.

Muller faces charges of reckless driving, crimen injuria, attempted murder and assault, while Blom faces a charge of assault.

The State indicated the two students tried to run over Gwebu with their bakkie on the university's Bloemfontein campus in February.

When Gwebu confronted the two students moments after this, he was allegedly assaulted.

Muller and Blom have pleaded not guilty to the respective charges.

During cross-examination on Monday, the two students' legal counsel Johann Nel submitted to Gwebu that his racial prejudice in the matter kept coming forward during questioning.

The court heard Gwebu questioned a medical report because a white doctor was involved. Nel asked him why did he not get a second medical opinion.

Gwebu answered that he had done so. He had phoned a politician.

“You phoned a political person. 1/8That is 3/8 not a medical opinion,” Nel submitted.

Closing his cross-examination Nel indicated various contradictions in Gwebu’s statement to police and his testimony in court.

Asked for comment, Gwebu repeatedly told Nel the defence was continuously trying to find contradictions where there were none.

“You are trying to contradict yourself,” Gwebu said.

Nel told the court Muller and Blom denied they had collided with Mwebu on purpose. They also denied that they were the aggressors on the night of the alleged incident.

The defence submitted Muller denied he used the derogatory word “kaffir”.

Gwebu claimed he heard the word that night.

The defence further submitted Gwebu was the aggressor at the scene of the alleged assault in front of the Armentum hostel.

“You opened the 1/8driver’s 3/8 door and tried to get the driver out of the car…you tried to drag him out from behind the steering wheel,” said Nel.

The court heard that Muller, who was driving, did headbutt the man who tried to pull him out of the vehicle “to get you away from him”.

Nel told the court Blom saw a man grabbing Muller and intervened by pulling him away while telling Muller to get away from the scuffle.

“Your version is false,” Nel told Gwebu.

The plaintiff denied it and repeatedly said the defence’s statements were “100 percent, false”.

Gwebu also twice denied he was under the influence of alcohol on the night of the incident.

“I never took a sip of alcohol,” Gwebu told the court.

The matter was postponed for the State to call another witness on 13 August 2014.

Sapa

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