Assault case against senior municipal employee dismissed
Magistrate Khumalo said he agreed with the defendant's attorney that if he (Mr Padayachee) had 'assaulted Mrs Bujram he would have had to have a reach of two metres which is not humanly possible'.
An alleged assault in the Endumeni Municipality – that hit the national newspapers – has crumpled into a ‘nothing case’ after a Dundee Magistrate found that the evidence against the defendant was ‘humanly impossible’ and found him not guilty.
Desi Padayachee, a senior manager at Endumeni, was accused by employee, Shirely Bujram, of assaulting her in her in July.
The incident made headlines in several newspapers with some articles naming Mr Padayachee even before he appeared in Court.
After several court appearances, which were postponed due to the alleged illness of Mrs Bujram, the case was eventually concluded this week.
Magistrate Khumalo said he agreed with the defendant’s attorney that if he (Mr Padayachee) had ‘assaulted Mrs Bujram he would have had to have a reach of two metres which is not humanly possible’.
With several people said to be in the office at the time of the alleged assault, Mr Padayachee would have found ‘it difficult to reach the plaintiff’.
The Magistrate was also not impressed with the conflicting versions given by witnesses and found Mr Padayachee not guilty.
