Pretoria - Revenge is not always sweet as a Limpopo man discovered. He has to pay R200 000 in damages after he had his neighbour falsely arrested.
He had a vendetta against the neighbour, had him arrested for no reason and caused him to be locked up and maliciously prosecuted.
Johannes Claassens, a nature conservationist in Limpopo, will further receive another R400 000 in damages from the police after he was locked up in a cell for three days under harrowing circumstances.
Claassens, 67, was so traumatised after his ordeal that he broke down in tears on several occasions while testifying in court.
He earlier turned to the Limpopo High Court sitting in Polokwane, where he claimed damages against the SAPS and his neighbour, Frans Nakana.
The police and Nakana accepted full liability for subjecting Claassens to inhumane treatment for no reason. The only issue at the time was how much damages he should be awarded.
The court decided that R40 000 was a fair amount for unlawful arrest and incarceration, and rejected the claim for malicious prosecution against Nakana.
Claassens, however, appealed this outcome and Limpopo Judge President Ephraim Makgoba ruled that R400 000 payable by the SAPS was fair.
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