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KANNALAND mayor and convicted rapist Jeffrey Donson had to be restrained and prevented from assaulting a journalist he mistook for a blogger he believed to be his biggest critic in the southern Cape.
During a break in proceedings at a council meeting in the Eden District Municipality council chambers on Wednesday, Donson stormed towards George Herald journalist Christo Vermaak after apparently being told that he was Oudtshoorn Online blogger Drewan Baird.
Baird has been the biggest detractor of Donson, who in 2008 was convicted on one charge of indecent assault and seven of statutory rape after it emerged he had had an affair with a 15-year-old girl while in office.
The Western Cape High Court reduced his five-year jail term to a suspended sentence, correctional supervision, a R20 000 fine and rehabilitation.
Vermaak said he was shocked to see Donson "coming right for me".
"Someone must have told him that I was Drewan Baird. He was screaming and swearing at me, telling me to f*ck off. He said, 'how can you write that k*k about me.'," Vermaak said.
"He was about to grab me and looked like he was going to hit me, but one of the ANC councillors who was standing around restrained him. I stood back a bit so he couldn't get to me."
Vermaak said the councillors were "completely shocked" by what they had seen from the mayor.
"He was screaming so loudly, you could have heard him from the third floor of the building."
However the journalist said he would not be taking the matter further.
"I take it from whence it comes."
Donson said he regretted his outburst and had tried to apologise to Vermaak.
"When I realised he was not the person I thought he was I tried to apologise to him, but he just walked away," he said.
Asked who he believed Vermaak to be, the mayor would only say, "someone else" and refused to comment any further.
Responding to the incident, Baird said: "Donson has my respect in that I will only publish information about him that has been confirmed by the courts, which is that he is a convicted child rapist and has now proved himself to be a violent man.
"His kind should never be allowed to hold public office."
