Former SAA chairperson Dudu Myeni can be seen testifying in court at the Palace of Justice in Pretoria, 20 February 2020. Picture: Jacques Nelles
Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) lawyer Carol Steinberg has told the High Court in Pretoria that she was verbally assaulted by a group of people who were allegedly on the side of former South African Airways board chairperson Dudu Myeni during recess.
Steinberg, during proceedings where Myeni continues her testimony in court to challenge both Outa and the SA Pilots Association seeking to declare her a delinquent director, alleged her colleague was physically assaulted by a group.
“I feel threatened,” she told the court.
“The people who were walking verbally assaulted me. We have these incidents on video. They then physically assaulted him,” referring to her associate.
“We have it all, and of course we can get affidavits.”
The incident allegedly happened while everyone was out of court. It is understood that the misunderstanding came as a result of Myeni’s legal team allegedly consulting with Myeni, which was not allowed while she was under cross-examination.
The judge said a police case must be opened and the court would do its best to provide security.
The court also heard questions on how Myeni allowed the board to meet with suppliers when all the board had to do was sign. Myeni claimed she did not allow anyone to do anything.
The former chairperson is testifying her own defence in her long-anticipated trial filed by the two organisations who approached the court early in 2017 with an application to have her declared a delinquent director.
Shortly before recess, the court heard how Myeni made over R7 million in 2017, the same year she had failed to make a court appearance.
Myeni told Outa’s legal team that she could not afford to travel to Pretoria to attend the case. This resulted in the court rolling the matter over to a later date.
Asked if her statement that she could not make court appearance was true, considering she had earned over R7 million in 2017, she maintained she did not have the means as she was “unemployed”.
To a question that she didn’t save any money from her package to come to court, Myeni responded she was not aware that she had to save money for a possible court case.
The court heard how there was insurance which would have covered directors and Myeni reiterated that this would have covered her court matters had circumstances remained the same.
The director’s insurance, she told the court, could cover all directors for possible legal woes.
She maintains her initial statement where she claimed to not have the means to go to court was true.
Myeni is said to have earned around R3.5 million from the water board and over R4 million from SA Airways.
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