Former president Jacob Zuma's stepson Sibonelo may face the law after he was implicated in pummelling a fellow party-goer at a New Year's Eve event at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Sibonelo, the son of Zuma's fifth wife Thobeka Madiba-Zuma, is accused of hitting Vuka Hlangu with a bottle and knocking one of his teeth out during an early morning skirmish. Sibonelo however denies the allegations.
Police spokesperson Nqobile Gwala confirmed that a case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm had been opened at the Durban Central police station.
"The complainant alleged that on January 1 2019 at 4am, he was attending an event at People's Park with his friends when he had an argument with a known suspect. The suspect assaulted him on the face and he sustained injuries," Gwala said.
According to Hlangu, a fight broke out when he took a chair from Sibonelo's crowd so that his wife could sit on it.
"I was with my wife and friends, so I wanted to get her a chair. I saw vacant chairs and asked the lady sitting next to them if I could take one for my wife and she agreed.
"But this guy came and started intimidating me. He kept asking me if I knew him," he said.
Hlangu said he had realised that he had seen Sibonelo before but did not know he was Zuma's son. "But being Zuma's son doesn't mean he had the right to beat me up," he said.
Zuma's stepson faces assault charge
Former president Jacob Zuma's stepson Sibonelo may face the law after he was implicated in pummelling a fellow party-goer at a New Year's Eve event at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Sibonelo, the son of Zuma's fifth wife Thobeka Madiba-Zuma, is accused of hitting Vuka Hlangu with a bottle and knocking one of his teeth out during an early morning skirmish. Sibonelo however denies the allegations.
Police spokesperson Nqobile Gwala confirmed that a case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm had been opened at the Durban Central police station.
"The complainant alleged that on January 1 2019 at 4am, he was attending an event at People's Park with his friends when he had an argument with a known suspect. The suspect assaulted him on the face and he sustained injuries," Gwala said.
According to Hlangu, a fight broke out when he took a chair from Sibonelo's crowd so that his wife could sit on it.
"I was with my wife and friends, so I wanted to get her a chair. I saw vacant chairs and asked the lady sitting next to them if I could take one for my wife and she agreed.
"But this guy came and started intimidating me. He kept asking me if I knew him," he said.
Hlangu said he had realised that he had seen Sibonelo before but did not know he was Zuma's son. "But being Zuma's son doesn't mean he had the right to beat me up," he said.
Hlangu said he had tried to remain polite throughout the drama because he did not want to embarrass his wife but Sibonelo would have none of it and continued yelling and swearing at him.
"The intimidation grew into a fight. He punched me several times. When bouncers realised that there was an argument, they came to throw us out and that's when he hit me with a glass. I cannot tell if it was a beer bottle or just a glass but he hit me with it," he said.
Sibonelo denied allegations against him, saying he, in fact, was trying to stop the brawl.
He confirmed that an argument erupted at his table but claimed that he did not assault anyone and shifted the blame to a "friend and colleague".
He gave the identity of the friend but could not provide this publication with his contact details to get his side of the story. "I was there when it happened but I was only trying to stop the fight. I am not the one who beat that man up.
"I even told the investigative officer that I was not the one that punched that guy but a guy who was at my table did. I would feel highly offended if my name gets published," he said.