Far East Rand Hospital says Jabu Mahlangu 'was not admitted' after crash

29 January 2022 - 09:53 By Marc Strydom
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Ex-Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana star Jabu Mahlangu was involved in car accident last Saturday.
Ex-Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana star Jabu Mahlangu was involved in car accident last Saturday.
Image: Lee Warren/Gallo Images

Jabu Mahlangu “was not admitted” to the Far East Rand Hospital last Saturday morning after a horror accident because his injuries were not serious enough, a spokesperson for the hospital has said.

Ex-Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United star Mahlangu had a charge added this week of fleeing the scene of the accident to one of reckless and negligent driving at the Benoni SA Police Service (SAPS) station, the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) said.

This was regarding the collision between the BMW 4 Series he was driving, along with a female passenger, and a Toyota Hiace Quantum minibus taxi in the early hours of last Saturday. Two people were seriously injured and 11 slightly, however the EMDP added that Mahlangu was allegedly not among those injured.

Lawyers for Mahlangu had said last Saturday that he was in the Far East Rand Hospital, but that they could not confirm his condition.

“Mr Jabu Mahlangu was seen here at the hospital after he was involved in a car accident, but he was not admitted,” Far East Rand Hospital spokesperson Linda Mkhondwane said.

Mkhondwane was asked if that meant Mahlangu's injuries were not serious enough for him to be admitted.

“Yes, because he was released on the same day,” he responded. “It was just a check-up.”

This could be problematic for Mahlangu as a permissible reason for leaving an accident is to be treated for injuries.

A charge of fleeing the scene of a crash carries a maximum sentence of nine years' imprisonment or a fine of R180,000.

Mabu Marweshe, a lawyer for Mahlangu from Marweshe Attorneys, questioned how charges have been made at the SAPS regarding his client, but the ex-player has not, according to Marweshe, been charged in person or arrested.

“We confirm that our client has not been charged by the police. We deny that. There might be charges somewhere but our client has not been charged for any crime,” Marweshe said.

Marweshe said the Far East Rand Hospital's revelation that Mahlangu was not admitted was simply a matter of the wording used.

“He was hospitalised and treated in the hospital on the same date (as the accident), and then he was released on the same date,” Marweshe said.

“I think it's the use of the language. When there is an accident, people are involved and then they are taken to the hospital. And when they arrive at the hospital they are then treated.

“They might be treated for multiple things and then they are discharged. So we can't say he was not admitted in hospital.

“The hospital has got the records of his admission where they have treated him and they have released him. How did they treat him for his injuries if he was not admitted? They would not be honest.”

Asked what injuries Mahlangu was treated for, Marweshe responded: “He just suffered some minor scars on his body and there was a bit of shock. But nothing severe.”

Marweshe said he could not confirm if Mahlangu was taken by an emergency vehicle to the hospital, or took himself there.

“I didn't inquire into that. But my assumption from the beginning was that there was an ambulance that has taken people. But I haven't inquired if he was part of the people in the ambulance or not,” he said.

TimesLIVE asked Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo to confirm the charges against Mahlangu at the Benoni SAPS. Masondo was also asked to confirm the allegation that Mahlangu had not been charged in person yet, and if not, establish why not.

Reached several times on Friday afternoon, Masondo said he was struggling to reach the SAPS investigating officer to ascertain the details. He had not responded with the information by Saturday morning.


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