Johnathan Paoli
THE Cape Town Regional court has found Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) General-Secretary and Head of Security Marshal Dlamini guilty of assault, following his attack on a Parliamentary security officer after the 2019 State of the Nation Address in Cape Town.
Magistrate Nasha Banwari on Friday found Dlamini guilty of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm as well as malicious damage to property
Dlamini was caught on video hitting Parliamentary Protection Services (PPS) member Warrant Officer Johan Carstens in the face during the State of the Nation Address in February 2019, subsequently breaking the officer’s glasses and inflicting facial injuries.
In his own defence, Dlamini said that he was protecting EFF leader Julius Malema from what he referred to as “possible assassination threats”.
Banwari said Dlamini’s claim that he was merely protecting Malema from a possible assassination threat was not acceptable.
The party maintained at the time that there was an alleged plan by right-wing groups who had infiltrated the PSS to “take out” Malema during the Sona, in an attempt to tackle its call for expropriation of land without compensation.
“The hope was that the EFF caucus would be kicked out of the house using parliamentary security. The anticipated evil acts would then be carried out during this moment of chaos,” Dlamini said.
The court postponed the sentencing until the end of May this year.
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