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POLICE yesterday arrested a Goodman Gallery security guard for allegedly assaulting Louis Mabokela, who is accused of defacing the controversial painting of President Jacob Zuma.

In a scene captured on video footage, the painting was vandalised on Tuesday by Barend la Grange and seconds later by Mabokela.

"A Goodman security guard, 36, (was) arrested for assault on Louis Mabokela," police spokesman Colonel Vish Naidoo tweeted yesterday afternoon.

But he could not speak yesterday when contacted for comment as he was in a meeting. But he confirmed the arrest. La Grange said he acted in an effort "to defuse a highly racialised situation".

"I spent about an hour in the gallery before I did it," he said. "About 90% of people who came in did not come for the art. They came to laugh. That is a shame. I was a young man during the 1980s and do not want us to go back to those days.

"We have worked 18 years to undo apartheid," La Grange said, adding that he was a Boer and had no affiliation to any political party.

The men appeared in the Hillbrow Magistrate's Court yesterday and the case was postponed to June 28.

Click below to view the footage of the incident at the gallery

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Comments

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Sun May 19 16:52:35 SAST 2013 ::

May 24, 2012

asaowe

Ths security guy mst be afraid of hs life
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May 24, 2012

PleaseGetReal1

Well done to the security guard, job well done, we are sure the company that you work for will stand behind you in the court cases, the guy should have been immobilized as soon as possible, you never know what is going on in a criminal's mind.
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May 24, 2012

ApelMankotsana

The first Black man to literally defend and showed his about the Spear painting is a young man from Bolobedu, Limpopo called Louis Mabokela...I was listening to him yesterday on Thobela FMnad he said he heard about the painting on Saterday from the radio. He then decides to travel by taxi to Johannesburg to personally see the painting. He arrived in Jo'burg on Sunday. On tuesday he went to the gallery and there he saw many people laughing at the painting. He saw and heard those people making silly jokes about the President. He became angry and decided to go outside. He then went to a nearby shop to buy a paint. He then put the paint in a medicine bottle and entered the gallery again. Whilst there he started to pour that paint on the painting........
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May 24, 2012

Lungu

"I spent about an hour in the gallery before I did it," he said. "About 90% of people who came in did not come for the art. They came to laugh. That is a shame. I was a young man during the 1980s and do not want us to go back to those days.

Please stop bluffing as we are already back in those days you are talking about, as for people who came to laugh have their own reasons like myself. To the nearest h*e*l*l with our government, they do not care about us period. As for Mr "Pres" i'm still laughing and can't wait to vote you out.
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May 24, 2012

munhu

@GetReal: you shld get real. Are you serious to condone the security guard's behavior? The guy didn't do anything criminal, all he was doing was exercising his constitutional right to protest against a distasteful picture of a head of state, a father, a freedom fighter, and a human being, legitimately voted into office by the majority of S.Africans. That picture was a poke in the black man's eye, the two gentleman are heroes. Fact is, someone will pay for this. While we preach reconciliation, they are treating it as a weakness. One day we shall witness them stepping on their own dirt. They are refusing with land, with jobs and with the means of production. It will not last forever.
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May 24, 2012

1tsotsi

ApelMankotsana
The first Black man to literally defend and showed his about the Spear painting is a young man from Bolobedu, Limpopo called Louis Mabokela...I was listening to him yesterday on Thobela FMnad he said he heard about the painting on Saterday from the radio. He then decides to travel by taxi to Johannesburg to personally see the painting. He arrived in Jo'burg on Sunday. On tuesday he went to the gallery and there he saw many people laughing at the painting. He saw and heard those people making silly jokes about the President. He became angry and decided to go outside. He then went to a nearby shop to buy a paint. He then put the paint in a medicine bottle and entered the gallery again. Whilst there he started to pour that paint on the painting........
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I say give that man a Bells!!! He has put tzaneen on the map, his my Hero, true african man who does not take kind of an elderly being insulted. Well done Loius, Bolubedu is proud of you, ,opani district will host a gala dinner for you.
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May 24, 2012

Ngungumba

I saw the footage on eNews last night, very disturbing. That is one stupid security guard and he should be very very afraid. They are coming to get him....
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May 24, 2012

lekalatp

I myself do not like the way the current government is conducting our business on dailly basis but I don't or i did not support the painting. it was disgusting. I really take offense when someone does not respect a fellow human being. God said we must love each other like we love ourselves. I guess if the artist has this commandment writen in his heart he would have not done the painting and the same goes with Zuma and other polititians. if they really loved us they would not went the extra mile to rob us but to serve us because South Africa belong to us and the state properties belongs to the South African and we only elected them to take care of our assets..
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May 24, 2012

Pabi

I don't see any valid reason why should Mabokela been beaten by this security guard, and didn't he beat La Grange too, because both of them they vendalised the picture? stupid black security guard trying to impress white people by humulating his black brother.
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May 24, 2012

MissyKay

Black people oppressing against black people...was the security guard trying to impress his bosses by beating up a man who was not even refusing to be arrested...idiocy at its best! He deserves to get whatever that is coming to him!
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