Malema, Ndlozi’s assault case to resume on Thursday morning

The case of assault against Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema and party MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi is expected to continue in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg on Thursday.

They are charged with assaulting a police officer at the funeral of the struggle stalwart, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in 2018.

After a four-month-long postponement, the Randburg Magistrate’s Court is expected to continue hearing the matter against Malema and Ndlozi.

The pair allegedly assaulted Lieutenant Colonel Johannes Venter at Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s funeral in April 2018.

Venter previously testified that Malema and Ndlozi had pushed him at the entrance of the Fourways Memorial Park, where Madikizela-Mandela was laid to rest, when he tried to stop their vehicle from entering.

The alleged assault is said to have been captured on video, however, during an appearance in March, a digital forensic analyst said that a photo album he extracted from CCTV footage of the alleged incident was not what the court had been presented with, saying it may “possibly” have been manipulated.

Malema and Ndlozi have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

CCTV footage

Last year, the state witness in the case told the court that he kept a copy of the CCTV footage of the incident for himself.

Deon Klingbiel was the manager of the Fourways Memorial Cemetery in 2018 during the funeral of Madikizela-Mandela.

Malema and Ndlozi’s legal representative, Advocate Laurence Hodes, questioned Klingbiel through an interpreter on why he did not mention in all of his three statements to the police, that he made a copy for himself.

Malema and Ndlozi in court on assault charges on March 9, 2021: