PORT ELIZABETH, March (ANA) - African National Congress (ANC) councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay, Andile Lungisa, who is charged with assault to cause grievous bodily harm, contradicted himself when recounting what happened during a violent Council brawl in 2016, the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court heard on Tuesday.
Under cross-examination, the prosecution highlighted a number of contradictions and accused Lungisa of blatantly disregarding council rules.
Lungisa is accused of smashing a glass jug over the head of Mayoral Committee member for Transport, Rano Kayser, during a council meeting which turned chaotic in October 2016.
The ANC provincial heavyweight took to the witness box for the second day and was cross-examined by Prosecutor Wayne Ludick who accused him of changing his version.
Ludick pointed out that in Lungisa’s statement to police, he said that he was hit several times with fists over his back before fleeing chambers, however, a video showed Lungisa being hit once with a flagpole.
Lungisa retorted that he had only realised it was a flagpole after viewing the video and said with the pain he felt he drew an inference that he was assaulted more than once.
Lungisa earlier claimed that Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Johnny Arends twisted his right arm behind his back, restraining his hand.
But in the video, Arendse is not seen twisting Lungisa’s right arm and the court wanted an explanation for his version.
The video was played before court and Lungisa said: “Yes I do see, but I was attacked by three DA councillors and everything happened in a split second.”
Lungisa demonstrated several times to the court how he was purportedly restrained and attacked and at some point, Magistrate Morne Cannon asked him to stop.
Lungisa claimed that he was restrained by DA councillors while Kayser charged at him and punched him in the stomach. He said his intention was to throw the water in the jug at Kayser.
But when viewing the video Ludick said Kayser could not be seen punching Lungisa in the stomach.
“At that stage, I was closing my eyes there was a DA councillor holding me and I was trying to run away.”
Ludick put it to Lungisa that he raised his hand in the video and slapped Kayser twice, but Lungisa replied that he was trying to defend himself by blocking Kayser from hitting his face.
Lungisa then claimed that Kayser hit him in the face but the prosecution said there was no evidence in the video to suggest Kayser slapped Lungisa.
Ludick further asked Lungisa to describe how much force he used when the glass jugs was smashed over Kayser’s head.
Lungisa said that he only knew that the jug had a lid on but could not answer questions on what the jug was made of.
Lungisa told the court that he did not know how much force was used when the jug crashed down onto Kayser’s head.
Ludick also criticised Lungisa for not answering direct simple questions with magistrate Cannon also issuing a warning in this regard.
The trial continues on 3 April.
-African News Agency (ANA)
