AS IT HAPPENED: State withdraws one count of culpable homicide in Duduzane Zuma case | News24

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26 Mar 15:13

The court adjourns for the day and will resume tomorrow at 09:00.
26 Mar 15:12

26 Mar 15:12

Baba asks Mdakane if she can remember what happened after Zuma’s car had struck the taxi.

Mdakane says it was a long time ago, and she cannot remember what had happened after Zuma’s car struck the taxi.

26 Mar 15:11

Hellens concludes his cross-examinations, the state prosecutor, Yusuf Baba is asking a few more questions.
26 Mar 15:08

26 Mar 15:02

Adv Hellens cross-examines Mdakane.
26 Mar 14:59

26 Mar 14:58

26 Mar 14:54

Mdakane brings new information that she did not mention to the police before. 
26 Mar 14:28

Mdakane says she saw Phumzile hanging on the side and someone shouted for her not to do that. Mdakane then saw she was dead, and closed Phumzile’s eyes.
26 Mar 14:23

26 Mar 14:13

Mdakane says they got out of the “combi” and the driver of the car came to speak to Dlamini. Thereafter, ambulances arrived and took them to the hospital.
26 Mar 14:10

Mdakane describes the moments before the car hit the taxi.
26 Mar 14:09

The next witness – Matron Mdakane – takes the stand. She is a 73-year-old who was in the taxi when the collision occurred.
26 Mar 14:02

26 Mar 13:02

The court adjourns for lunch.
26 Mar 12:59

26 Mar 12:57

He (Dlamini) can’t comment on the other witnesses’ testimonies.
26 Mar 12:45

Dlamini says it was safe driving between 90km/h-100km/h in the wet weather.
26 Mar 12:39

Dlamini said a passenger warned him about a car, mere moments before the collision.
26 Mar 12:32

26 Mar 12:31

There was a lot of water flowing from Marlboro Drive because of the heavy rain, says Dlamini.
26 Mar 12:25

“She was hanging out of the window, but I don’t know how that happened” – Dlamini on how Phumzile Dube died.
26 Mar 12:20

There was a fatality.
26 Mar 12:19

Dlamini describes the damage to his taxi…
26 Mar 12:18

Dlamini retracts his statement and says the car was not spinning but he did notice the lights, but when he checked his mirrors he could not see the car.
26 Mar 12:16

The taxi was hit on the right side and a steel barrier prevented the taxi from landing on its side.
26 Mar 12:13

Dlamini says all of a sudden the collision happened, and he lost consciousness.
26 Mar 12:10

Dlamini says he saw the car and it was spinning.
26 Mar 12:00

Dlamini says when he left Fourways it was raining lightly on the N1, and when he got to the M1 the rain was heavy. The visibility was clear.
26 Mar 11:53

26 Mar 11:51

Dlamini says he was driving from Fourways in the evening of the accident.
26 Mar 11:50

The State calls its next witness – Jabulani Dlamini – the taxi driver, involved in the collision.
26 Mar 11:46

26 Mar 11:18

26 Mar 11:11

Zuma’s car did not have the function to assist when the car hit a pool of water. Adv Hellens argues though that new model Porches will come out with this function to assist in wet conditions.
26 Mar 11:08

Based on the article, the light weight tires on the Porsche make it susceptible to hydroplaning –when a layer of water builds between the wheels of the vehicle and the road surface, leading to a loss of traction.

26 Mar 11:04

Adv Hellens reads an article from “Automotive News”, the article is based on an interview with the Head of sports car chassis development at Porsche in Germany.
26 Mar 10:57

Cronje is being questioned about the night he once drove a Porsche through water. As a result, he did not have control over the car. Adv Hellens describes this as a “common experience”.
26 Mar 10:55

Adv Hellens asks Cronje to confirm if he is not an engineer and not an accident reconstruction expert either.
26 Mar 10:54

Adv Mike Hellens is now cross-examining Cronje.
26 Mar 10:46

Cronje confirms that the front left side of the car was damaged. The court learns that the back was also damaged, and that the exhaust was replaced after the collision due to damage.
26 Mar 10:41

Photographs of the damages Porsche are now being shown to the witness.
26 Mar 10:38

The court is back in session.
26 Mar 10:29

The court adjourns for a short break.
26 Mar 10:21

Cronje admits that the car was taken to Porsche after the accident.
26 Mar 10:16

According to a pathologist’s report, Mashaba died due to natural causes.
26 Mar 10:15

The magistrate says Adv Hellens can request to cross-examine the witness if he would like to. 
26 Mar 10:07

The right to a fair trial not only applies to the accused, but to the State as well.
26 Mar 10:04

Advocate Mike Hellens refers to the evidence by Cronje, saying that it is not a fair trial but rather a “trial by ambush”.