City of Cape Town to pay blind street musician R300,000 in civil claim

A blind street musician beaten up by Cape Town authorities has been awarded R300,000 in a civil claim, according to a report.

Beeld newspaper reported on Saturday that the Cape Town Regional Court on Thursday ordered the city council to pay for the damages suffered by Lunga Goodman Nono, 52, on July 8 last year.

Since 2008 he has been singing, playing guitar, and selling his CDs on the corner of St George pedestrian mall and Shortmarket street to support his family in Delft.

When law enforcement authorities asked him on that day to stop playing, he said he had permission. When they returned later they dragged him to a marked car, tearing his clothes and damaging his guitar.

Bystanders filmed the scuffle and posted it online. He was arrested and the charges were withdrawn in September last year.

According to court papers he was left traumatised and has nightmares about the event. The civil claim was filed because Nono argued his constitutional rights had been violated.