Duduzane details seconds after his Porsche hit puddle
On the stand, the accused elaborated on the day of the accident moments before his car hit the minibus taxi.
On trial: Duduzane Zuma, pictured as he arrived at court last July to face corruption charges. AFP/WIKUS DE WET
Duduzane Zuma is back in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court facing a culpable homicide charge for a 2014 accident where his vehicle crashed into a minibus taxi which resulted in the death of two people.
Phumzile Dube and Nanki Jeanette Mashaba died, although evidence by Duduzane’s defence led to the court dropping one culpable homicide charge after it was determined that Mashaba’s death was due to pre-existing conditions.
Lindsay Maarsdorp from Black First Land First, AfriForum’s Kallie Kriel, and the family of Dube were in court. Duduzane’s father, Jacob Zuma, was a no-show on Wednesday morning.
Duduzane, who has pleaded not guilty to the two charges, took the witness stand and maintained he lost control of his Porsche after it hit a puddle.
“At the time of the accident, it was raining heavily,” he said on the witness stand.
He was in the fast lane, driving his 2007 model Porsche, from Fourways to his home in Saxonworld, clarified his defence, Mike Hellens.
While on the stand, state prosecutor Yusuf Baba cross-examined Duduzane on the exact details of the day in question. Duduzane told the court that visibility was obscured on the day due to heavy rain.
Describing the crash as unfortunate, he said it was impossible for him to have regained control of the car after his Porsche hit a puddle of water.
As the vehicle lost control, he did not accelerate nor did he brake but held to the unresponsive steering wheel. He did not even see what he hit until after the vehicle came to a halt.
Duduzane fielded a series of technical questions from Baba who wanted to know intricate details, from when Duduzane last bought tyres, the weather conditions, to the lighting on the road.
He moved on to the duties of a driver and if, under the circumstances, Duduzane thought his speed was appropriate. His reply to Baba, was that he has been driving since the age of 18 and was always cautious of other motorists.
Proceedings have been postponed to Thursday due to a technical problem with a stenographer.
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