Security agents injured in clash with suspects

VICTOR MUYAKWABO
Staff Writer | Thursday October 4, 2012 00:00

 

The commotion started when a prison warder and plain clothes officer attempted to stop one Joseph Gaie, after he left the dock and walked out of the courtroom while spewing insults and threats.

'Stop talking to these people and let us go man, today I am going to kill a person,' said Gaie as he walked out of the courtroom. He immediately rushed from the first to the ground floor and said he would escape from the security agents and show them that they are not intelligent. The security agents managed to put leg irons on him and his co-accused Golwelwang Efedile. The duo then walked out of the court building and started throwing bottles and stones at photojournalists. 

They used anything they could lay their hands on and rummaged through the refuse bin in search of more weapons.   The security agents who tried to stop them from attacking the photojournalists got a beating as the two men went on the rampage.

Gaie took the refuse bin lid and hit the arm of an officer before he was stopped by other policemen. The men then tried to climb over the security fence to search for more missiles. However, their efforts did not succeed as prison warders overpowered them.

In the process of trying to get the two accused persons into a vehicle, another police officer was injured as Gaie continued with his assault in an attempt to resist entering the van. As Gaie and Efedile ran amok, two other accused persons, Bongani Ncube and Thulane Dube who were appearing for burglary, theft and robbery tried to escape.

They rushed to the toilets, removed their leg irons and tried to make their escape through the window. Another officer who was standing behind the toilets realised what was going on and called for help. Gaie and Efedile, and their co-accused, Agisanyang Makopo and Bampoloki Kgamphetsa who are out on bail will appear for mention on November 5. Their trial has been set for January 21 and 23 next year.  In their last mention at the same court, Gaie and Efedile damaged a Mmegi camera as they charged at photojournalists.