Bluff bag snatcher in pain as he appears in court

A KwaZulu-Natal man who was run over by a car driven by a woman he robbed at a shopping centre on the Bluff made a brief appearance in the Durban magistrate's court on Friday.

Sicelo Mpanza, 28, who faces a robbery charge, was represented by Legal Aid during his first court appearance after being in hospital under police guard.

During court proceedings Mpanza appeared to be in pain as he limped into the dock with his right arm bandaged.

This prompted magistrate Ashwin Singh to grant him permission to sit during the brief proceedings.

State prosecutor Vishalan Moodley said the state was opposed to him being granted bail.

He told court the accused also has a pending matter being heard in the Pinetown magisterial district.

The matter was adjourned to the end of the month for a bail hearing.

Three weeks ago, Sandy-Lee Ward was robbed in her car by two men while exiting a shopping mall. 

When one of them, later identified as Mpanza, fled on foot, she drove through a boom gate in pursuit and climbed a traffic island before her car hit him.

She said at the time all she was interested in was recovering her bag, which contained “her whole life”.

TimesLIVE