Johannesburg - The driver of disgraced politician Humphrey Mmemezi, who knocked down a teenager and left him brain-damaged while allegedly driving the former MEC to a meeting, failed his advanced driving VIP protection course twice – before, and again after, the accident.
This emerged in the Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday during the trial of Joseph Semitjie, who stands accused of reckless and negligent driving.
Semitjie failed the test for the first time in July 2011.
A few months later, on November 5, he got behind the wheel to rush Mmemezi – who was running late – to a morning meeting. Matric pupil Thomas Ferreira’s motorcycle collided with his BMW X5 at a traffic light.
At the time of the accident, Mmemezi denied he was in the car. His then spokesman, Victor Moreriane, said police had confirmed that Mmemezi was not in the BMW at the time of the accident.
But a day after this denial on November 8, the Gauteng provincial government admitted that Mmemezi had left the scene immediately after the accident.
The court heard on Wednesday that a few weeks after the crash, Semitjie went to a remedial course before retaking the advanced driving test, which he failed once again.
Captain Johannes Stassen, commander of the advanced driving training course in Pretoria, testified that some of the aspects of the module that Semitjie failed were: changing lanes in an emergency, 180º handbrake turn, precision driving, slalom, and a garage stop with a time limit.
Stassen, a driver for former presidents PW Botha, FW de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki, said that when someone has failed the course, they recommend that the person go for further training and not be used in the driving of high-profile VIPs.
However, his authority was limited and he had no final say on the appointment of VIP drivers.
During cross-examination, Semitjie’s lawyer, Moses Rankoa, told Stassen that his client’s commander would not have authorised him to drive Mmemezi if he knew he was not competent and needed to have passed the advanced driver test.
He also asked Stassen if he was saying Semitjie’s commander had made a mistake by telling him to drive Mmemezi.
“If (Semitjie) is not competent in the modules, he is not competent to be a driver. But if the commander believes otherwise, who am I to say anything?” he said.
Another witness, Captain Barend Knoetze, a commander at the Protection and Security Services Transit Unit and responsible for transporting Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane, said drivers had been instructed to use blue lights and a siren only in emergency situations.
It also transpired through Knoetze’s testimony that after Semitjie’s accident, other drivers had stated that “a particular MEC” liked driving fast and would tell them to use the blue lights.