Newzroom Afrika anchor Aldrin Sampear apologises for road rage incident, returns to small screen

Newzroom Afrika news anchor Aldrin Sampear has apologised for a road rage incident involving another driver in April.

The incident, which allegedly happened on Jan Smuts Avenue in Randburg, went viral, leading to Sampear's suspension.

In the video, Sampear was seen confronting the woman, accusing her of giving him the middle finger, while the woman accused him of assault.

Returning to the small screen on Monday, Sampear expressed his regret over the incident.

“Having had the time to reflect on these events, I want to take full responsibility for my actions,” he said.

“Though I did not assault the other driver, I should’ve been more composed and found a way to de-escalate the situation. I fell short of the standards I hold myself to, and for that I want to express my regret and sincere apologies to our viewers, my colleagues at Newzroom Afrika and the management.

“I’ve worked hard to make sense of this experience and the root cause of my response. I hope that through my actions from now on, I can rebuild the trust and the confidence placed in me as I continue on this journey to do better.

“To the babies out there, I want to say Uncle Aldrin is really sorry. I’m really sorry and I hope that you’ll be able to forgive me.”

TimesLIVE reported that a 20-year-old university student filed an assault charge against Sampear after the incident in which he allegedly deliberately struck the rear right side of her car.

Gauteng police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo told TimesLIVE: “Police can confirm that a case of common assault has been opened and no arrest has been made yet.”

TimesLIVE