Dudu Busani

Dudu Busani

Judge Nkola Motata was yesterday warned by a Johannesburg magistrate to behave.

This was after the judge and magistrate, Desmond Nair, had a heated exchange in the magistrate's court during Motata's drunken driving case.

Motata had raised his hand and indicated that he wanted to give instructions to his lawyer, Advocate Danie Dorfling.

The instructions were that Dorfling request a short adjournment for consultation.

"That application is declined," said magistrate Nair.

A visibly upset Motata replied by saying: "I think I have the right to consult with my lawyer, why am I being denied that right?"

"Mr Motata, your conduct is bordering on being contemptuous to this court," replied Nair.

"Rather address me as accused, I am not Mr, I do not hold that title," Motata snapped back.

"Your outbursts are being contemptuous to this court and I won't allow it. We'll take a short adjournment," said the magistrate.

The interruption occurred when Richard Baird, the man into whose house Motata had crashed his Jaguar, while allegedly drunk, was being cross-examined by Dorfling.

Asked why he had taken only 16 pictures and why his recordings ran for only 20 minutes when he had spent two hours at the scene, Baird said: "In the first 30 minutes after I arrived, the judge was sleeping in his car. I spent that time trying to get the police to come."

Baird also said that the first thing he said to Motata was "hello judge", to which Motata replied with a swear word.

"I then stopped talking to him and called my attorney," said Baird.

Earlier this week, sound clips of recordings done by Baird on the day of the incident were played out in court.

Motata is heard ranting and raving and swearing at the people who were at the scene.

However, Motata's defence argues that the authenticity of the recordings is questionable and should not be admissible as evidence in court.