The man who was arrested for drunken driving as well as reckless and negligent driving after colliding with former President Jacob Zuma's armoured state vehicle on Thursday has been granted R500 bail. Mbuyiseni Ntuli (51) appeared before the Eshowe Magistrates Court in the north of KwaZulu Natal today.
GRANTED BAIL
The accident happened on the R66 on Thursday when Ntuli's car crashed into Zuma's vehicle. The former president survived the crash unscathed. At the time of the collision, Zuma was in the vehicle with his protectors heading to his home in Nkandla from Eshowe. KZN National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Natasha Ramakisson-Kara confirmed that the man did appear in court and his case was postponed to 3 May for further investigation. "The 51-year-old man appeared in the Eshowe Magistrates Court today on charges of reckless and negligent driving and driving under the influence. He was granted bail of R500, and the case was remanded to 03 May 2024 for further investigation," he said.
SECURITY DETAIL
On the other hand, the Presidency denied the claims made by Zuma's newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK) that the accident was an assassination attempt on the former president who called for his security detail to be beefed up. The party spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, said in a statement after the accident that they were extremely concerned over the safety and security of Zuma. "There have been a series of events that cannot be deemed coincidental and we have been observing and monitoring a sequence of inter-related events that have taken place under Cyril Ramaphosa's government that ought to be communicated to South Africans, which took place after President Zuma's announcement on the 16th of December that he is going to vote and campaign for the MK Party."
However, Police Minister General Bheki Cele is satisfied that the current security deployed for the protection of Zuma is sufficient and on a par with other former heads of state. "The ministry finds the call made by the uMkhonto We Sizwe Party spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela; for the Minister of Police to be 'questioned on Jacob Zuma's security details' reckless and out of order,' Cele spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said.
