Man falsely arrested seeks R17.7m damages

Zamokuhle Mbatha – falsely arrested for the murder of Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa – is demanding R17.7m as compensation. The Star reports in papers lodged at the Gauteng High Court (Johannesburg) against the Police Minister and the NDPP, Mbatha’s lawyers said they wanted annual interest of 15.5% on their initial R10m demand. Mbatha was arrested in October 2014 over the shooting death of the star goalkeeper – three days after Meyiwa’s death. The initial lawsuit, including the attendant monetary demand, was filed in April 2015. Adding the 15.5% interest to the original R10m demand which Mbatha sought nearly five years ago brings his total claim to about R17.7m. This comes as a document in the lawsuit’s file – signed in October 2017 – stated that the matter was expected to be heard in May this year. Mbatha was suing the state on three counts: wrongful and unlawful arrest and 13-day detention; malicious prosecution; and defamation. The report notes Meyiwa was shot at his girlfriend and musician Kelly Khumalo’s family home in Vosloorus. He was with Khumalo, her sister, their mother, Khumalo’s two children and a friend. No one has since been arrested over Meyiwa’s murder.