Aldrin Sampear, a TV journalist and prominent anchor at Newzroom Afrika, found himself at the centre of a road rage spat that was captured on a video making rounds on social media.
The event, which unfolded on Thursday on the busy streets of Randburg, Gauteng, was captured by a 20-year-old Laricia Augusto, who claims that Sampear was aggressive during an exchange after a minor collision between their vehicles.
In a detailed report, Augusto told The Citizen that a taxi suddenly stopped in front of her and she indicated and moved to the right lane.
She said as she was changing lanes in front of the former SABC news anchor, he started to accelerate.
“He practically glued himself to my bumper, hooting aggressively. I had no idea what his issue was, but to avoid any drama, I moved back into the left lane to let him pass. That’s when things turned nasty,” Augusto told the publication.
Augusto described how Sampear abruptly swerved in front of her car, forcing her to make contact with his rear tyre.
Following the accident, both cars came to a halt, and the confrontation reached a boiling point. She accused Sampear of shouting when approaching her.
“He was screaming at me. I tried to defend myself, pointing out that what he did was deliberate road rage. I even told him there was more than enough space for him to have driven safely,” she was quoted as saying.
On the clip, Sampear was repeatedly asking the woman why she gave him the middle finger.
In response, Augusto, who sounds visibly upset, is asking him why he hit her.
“Why did you give me that middle finger, are you mad?” Sampear continued to ask angrily.
They squabble until Sampear walks back into his car and Augusto follows him and insists he’s not leaving.
“I’m not leaving,” he replied.
Speaking to IOL, Sampear confirmed that he was involved in a minor accident on Thursday afternoon.
According Sampear, the accident happened after a driver tried to cut in-front of him when the taxi ahead of them stopped.
“There was an exchange of words from both parties when we were stationary. I’m horrified to see an edited version of the video because I actually went to my car to go fetch my phone and license to share with the driver. At no point did I assault the driver. We have exchanged details. I have reported the matter to the police and my legal team will deal with this factually and honestly,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Citizen added that Augusto has laid assault charges against Sampear.
sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za
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