Cape Town - A blue light brigade vehicle in Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cavalcade has been involved in a crash in Blouberg.
Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, spokesman for the directorate for priority crime investigation (the Hawks) confirmed the incident on Friday, saying “the lead car in deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa’s cavalcade was hit by a bakkie which allegedly jumped the red robot. One member was injured”.
Ramaphosa was not in the vehicle involved in the crash on the corner of Blaauwberg Road and the R27, said Mulaudzi.
The injured bodyguard is believed to be in intensive care unit in a nearby private hospital, said a police source.
The source said a driver faced possible charges of negligent driving.
Reports said a car involved was driven by two British tourists, but the British consulate said it knew nothing about any nationals involved in a crash.
Provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa told Weekend Argus a black BMW “with blue lights” had been involved in a crash on the R27 on Friday afternoon.
They had CCTV footage of the incident, but the Table View police would have to provide any further information.
National police spokesman Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo told Weekend Argus at the time of publication the matter was being investigated.
Other media quoted the tourists allegedly involved in the crash as saying they had been driving over the intersection of the R27 and Blaauwberg Road when they were hit.
The tourists were quoted as saying the right front side of their rental car and a door were damaged.
Others at the crash scene were said to be four people standing around the black sedan, one in brown camouflage, and another wearing a white cap embroidered with the words “Presidential Golf Day”.
President Jacob Zuma was playing golf on Friday at the Sona Presidential Golf Challenge, at Atlantic Beach Golf Estate.
In August 2013, it was reported police had yet to act on a crash involving the head of the Presidential Protection Unit after a BMW 3 Series blue-light vehicle registered to one of Zuma’s bodyguard commanders, Major-General Mxolisi Dladla, skipped a red traffic light and collided with a white Toyota Corolla on July 16 that year.
In 2009, in another case, a pedestrian was killed instantly after being hit by a car that was part of Zuma’s cavalcade.
The incident occurred near Ulundi’s B North section in northern KwaZulu-Natal as Zuma’s bodyguards were making their way to Nongoma, where Zuma was to address an ANC manifesto rally.
Zuma was not in the motorcade at the time of the incident.
Weekend Argus
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