One of two students accused of attacking a metered taxi driver during a dispute over the fare is fighting back.
|||One of two students from the Eastern Cape charged with attempted murder for allegedly attacking a metered taxi driver during a dispute over the fare is fighting back.
Mark Malan, 20, has brought an assault case against the driver, claiming he started the fight.
Malan claims that he and his co-accused, 22-year-old Bradley Paul, retaliated and were acting in self-defence.
This emerged in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday where Paul and Malan, who are housemates, appeared in connection with the attempted murder charge and charges of crimen injuria and malicious damage to property.
Paul and Malan, both hospitality industry students at a Cape Town college, live in Bishopscourt Village while away from their home towns.
The charges against them stem from an incident in October last year after they refused to pay driver Maxwell Mafudza R350 for a trip from Green Point to Claremont
It is the State’s case that Paul and Malan were only willing to pay R50 for the trip and got out of the taxi and walked away.
Mafudza followed them and the men turned around and attacked him, saying they did not have to pay a Zimbabwean, the State alleges.
Mafudza sustained injuries to his face, head, wrists and knees, and had multiple-fractured ribs.
However, the men deny the allegations and claim that Mafudza tried to grab Malan’s wallet and attacked him by punching him in the face.
Their attorney, William Booth, told magistrate Marietjie van Eeden on Wednesday that an assault case had been opened against the driver at the Claremont police station.
He added that he had not been able to determine the status of the matter or whether an arrest had been made.
Prosecutor Kepler Uys told the court on Wednesday that police had information that a third man was involved in the alleged attack on Mafudza.
However, he said the third suspect had not yet been arrested.
In addition, he said that the only outstanding evidence was a quotation for the damage to the taxi and the statement of one witness.
The magistrate postponed the case to February 10 and said she would mark the postponement as final.
fatima.schroeder@inl.co.za - Cape Argus