Carl Niehaus. Gallo Images / Rapport / Deon Raath.
The Estcourt Magistrate’s Court heard on Thursday that Mkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) spokesperson, Carl Niehaus, addressed a large crowd outside the Estcourt Prison in violation of Covid-19 regulations.
A staunch former president Jacob Zuma supporter, Niehaus, went to the prison shortly after the former president was incarcerated in July.
Testifying during his trial, state witness, Brigadier Francis Bantham told the court that the MKMVA spokesperson was surrounded by a crowd when he was arrested.
“My estimation is that there were more than 50 people gathered around Mr Carl Niehaus.
“At the time the country was under level 4 lockdown and such gatherings were not permitted,” she said.
However, Niehaus’s legal representative, Advocate Nthabiseng Mokoena, put it to Bantham that Niehaus had gone to prison to visit Zuma and not to address any gathering.
“His version is that the group of people approached him as he arrived at the prison to see the ex-president,” she said.