TV news anchor Aldrin Sampear placed on ‘indefinite leave’ after road rage incident [VIDEO]

Newzroom Afrika has confirmed that news anchor Aldrin Sampear will be taking an indefinite leave of absence with immediate effect following a recent road rage incident in Johannesburg.

The news broadcaster announced the decision on Tuesday as it conducted an internal review of the incident.

“Newzroom Afrika is aware of an incident involving anchor Aldrin Sampear last week. Sampear will take a break from his broadcast duties with immediate effect, pending an internal review of the matter.

“Newzroom Afrika takes the allegations very seriously and we will work swiftly to address the concerns raised,” the broadcaster said.

Road rage

This follows allegations that he physically assaulted a woman driver during a reported road rage incident in Johannesburg last week.

The incident sparked widespread outrage after a video recorded by a 20-year-old woman identified as  Laricia Augusto went viral on social media.

Augusto told The Citizen that she was travelling to university on Jan Smuts Avenue at the time of the incident. She has laid charges against Sampear.

WATCH: The heated confrontation between Sampear and Augusto

ALSO READ: TV news anchor Aldrin Sampear claims road rage video was edited, denies assault

Assault

In the video, a distressed Augusto can be heard accusing Sampear of physical aggression.

“He grabbed my arm. I immediately started recording him. That’s when I realised this wasn’t just a fender bender and that this was something else.”

In the video, Sampear accused Augusto of flipping a middle finger at him, which she admitted to. “You can see him pointing in my face, shouting nonstop. He pushed me, grabbed me again, and hit me,” she said. “I was terrified and genuinely afraid he might seriously hurt me, but I tried not to show it. I kept as calm as I could.”

Video edited

Sampear denied assaulting Augusto during a phone call with The Citizen a few hours after the incident, but admitted that there was “some truth” to other aspects of the encounter.

However, Sampear alleged that the video she made of the incident was edited.

“I’m horrified to see an edited version of the video because I actually went to my car to go fetch my phone and license to share with the driver,” he responded to The Citizen in a text message on WhatsApp.

“At no point did I assault the driver. We have exchanged details. I have reported the matter to the police, and my legal team will deal with this factually and honestly,” Sampear added.

Five years ago, the broadcaster admitted that he had assaulted women before but claimed he had been provoked and had since outgrown the behaviour.

Additional reporting by Hein Kaiser

ALSO READ: TV news anchor Aldrin Sampear charged with assault