THE taxi driver who was filmed stabbing a motorist with an Okapi knife in a viral video made his first appearance at the Cape Town Magistrates Court yesterday.
Mthuthuzeli Sikhweza, 28, from Philippi handed himself over to police on Monday after returning from the Eastern Cape.
He appeared on two charges of attempted murder and reckless and negligent driving, however, the matter was postponed to July 25 for a formal bail application.
Footage of the violent attack which occurred on June 26 at the intersection of Canon and Voortrekker Road in Maitland went viral last week and shows Mthuthuzeli, who is associated with the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) and driving the Gugulethu-Maitland route, appeared to have stabbed 28-year-old Zain Pandey multiple times.
When Daily Voice spoke to Mthuthuzeli last week he said that the reason for the attack was because Zain provoked him by allegedly calling him the K-word and swore his ‘ma se p***’.
However Zain slammed those accusations and said Mthuthuzeli was driving k@k and was allegedly on the phone while driving.
When the media applied for a media application to have Mthuthuzeli's picture taken and published, he did not want his face in the media despite the video going viral.
According to the legal representative of Mthuthuzeli, his client said he feared for his safety as he is young and it might have an effect on him as "mense" (people) might try to take revenge and attack him.
Mthuthuzeli also claimed that he was allegedly assaulted by a coloured police officer while in the cells.
However the court granted the media application as the matter was in the interest of the public.