Sharika Regchand
MEMBERS of the police VIP unit assigned to protect MECs are trained to “eliminate” any motorist they perceive as a threat, whether or not the official they are meant to protect is present.
This was the evidence of Martin Thulani Khanyile, a trainer of VIP protection officers, in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court yesterday.
“They (VIP members) must stay alive in order to protect. That’s what we train them… they have to act as if the minister is there… if there is a life-threatening situation, they should make a point that they eliminate the threat,” he added.
Khanyile was testifying on behalf of VIP officer Hlanganani Nxumalo, who is charged with six counts of attempted murder and unlawfully discharging a firearm after a shooting incident on the N3 near Ashburton, KwaZulu-Natal, in 2008.
Nxumalo fired two shots at a car, causing the driver, Anuvasen Moodley, to lose control. It veered onto the median and into oncoming traffic, colliding with a bakkie.
Nxumalo was a passenger in a black VW Golf with flashing blue lights, on its way to pick up MEC Meshack Radebe. The driver, Caiphus Ndlela, is charged with reckless and negligent driving in the incident.
Nxumalo said he fired warning shots because the driver of the car had been braking in front of him, switching lanes and trying to push them off the road. He said he felt his life was in danger.
The case resumes today.