Duduzane inconsistent in his account of what speed he drove at, court hears

Duduzane Zuma continues his testimony at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for his culpable homicide trial relating to a 2014 accident that led to the death of two women on the M1 highway near Grayston Drive.

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.

The judge postponed the case on Monday due to a technical issue with the stenographer. Duduzane went straight to the witness stand on Tuesday, to continue his testimony on the events of the night in question.

State prosecutor Yusuf Baba continued with a series of questions in an attempt to prove that Duduzane may have been reckless on the night that the accident occured. Baba questioned Dudzane about whether his speed at 100km/h was appropriate in wet conditions. Duduzane replied that in his view it was.

The court heard how Zuma had replaced his tyres about six months before the accident. Since Duduzane had contacted his insurance, a report from the insurance assessor indicated that Duduzane was traveling at 70km/h.

Before ending his questioning, Baba told the court that Duduzane’s account of what speed he was driving at appeared to fluctuate. In one statement he had said he was driving at a normal speed, to an insurance assessor he said 70km/h, and in court he said it was around 90-100km/h.

The court then adjourned for 15 minutes, after which the defence will call their first witness to the stand.

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