A METRO police officer yesterday told the Protea Magistrate's Court that the two vehicles driven by musician Molemo "Jub Jub" Maarohanye and Themba Tshabalala were indeed racing.
Johannesburg Metro Police Department spokesman Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said he came to this conclusion in August after viewing a video clip showing a grey and a blue Mini Cooper travelling in both lanes along Mdlalose Road in Protea, Soweto, before crashing into a number of school children.
Minnaar said prosecutor Raymond Mathenjwa had requested that he view the video clip and then "advise" him on what he had observed.
"What I saw on the video was a grey Mini Cooper and a blue Mini Cooper. The two vehicles were travelling parallel [to each other] in the same direction.
"I noticed that the blue vehicle was on the wrong side of the road facing oncoming traffic. The [grey] vehicle on the left would not allow the other car to pass," Minnaar said.
Asked by Mathenjwa what he made of this observation, Minnaar said: "The cars were racing."
Minnaar said in the event of one car seeking to overtake another, the vehicle being overtaken would be expected to either slow down or not accelerate.
He said in the video this did not happen and he arrived at the conclusion that the two cars were racing. But under cross-examination by Maarohanye's lawyer, Ike Motloung, Minnaar reiterated his stance but later backtracked.
"From what you saw in the video, could you see whether the vehicle on the left accelerated?" Motloung asked. "It accelerated," Minnaar answered emphatically.
Motloung then asked whether Minnaar, or anyone else who viewed the video, could see a visible difference in the acceleration of the grey car. It was at this point that Minnaar conceded it would not be possible solely from watching the video clip that the grey Mini Cooper accelerated as the blue vehicle sought to overtake it.
Motloung also grilled Minnaar for not making a statement soon after watching the video of the alleged drag race. It emerged in his testimony that Minnaar only made a statement last week.
lSee Page 16
'Jub Jub was racing'
A METRO police officer yesterday told the Protea Magistrate's Court that the two vehicles driven by musician Molemo "Jub Jub" Maarohanye and Themba Tshabalala were indeed racing.
Johannesburg Metro Police Department spokesman Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said he came to this conclusion in August after viewing a video clip showing a grey and a blue Mini Cooper travelling in both lanes along Mdlalose Road in Protea, Soweto, before crashing into a number of school children.
Minnaar said prosecutor Raymond Mathenjwa had requested that he view the video clip and then "advise" him on what he had observed.
"What I saw on the video was a grey Mini Cooper and a blue Mini Cooper. The two vehicles were travelling parallel [to each other] in the same direction.
"I noticed that the blue vehicle was on the wrong side of the road facing oncoming traffic. The [grey] vehicle on the left would not allow the other car to pass," Minnaar said.
Asked by Mathenjwa what he made of this observation, Minnaar said: "The cars were racing."
Minnaar said in the event of one car seeking to overtake another, the vehicle being overtaken would be expected to either slow down or not accelerate.
He said in the video this did not happen and he arrived at the conclusion that the two cars were racing. But under cross-examination by Maarohanye's lawyer, Ike Motloung, Minnaar reiterated his stance but later backtracked.
"From what you saw in the video, could you see whether the vehicle on the left accelerated?" Motloung asked. "It accelerated," Minnaar answered emphatically.
Motloung then asked whether Minnaar, or anyone else who viewed the video, could see a visible difference in the acceleration of the grey car. It was at this point that Minnaar conceded it would not be possible solely from watching the video clip that the grey Mini Cooper accelerated as the blue vehicle sought to overtake it.
Motloung also grilled Minnaar for not making a statement soon after watching the video of the alleged drag race. It emerged in his testimony that Minnaar only made a statement last week.
lSee Page 16
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos