WATCH | Len Cloete remains wheelchair-bound, struggles with speech three years after being shot in the head by cops

‘Cloete cannot provide written or verbal statements, making it challenging to conclude the case’

Three years after being shot in the head during an altercation with police at Muldersdrift Misty Hills Lodge, Pretoria businessman Len Cloete remains confined to a wheelchair and struggles with speech.

The 2021 incident, which went viral on social media, showed Cloete arguing with police officers, daring them to shoot him. He then disarmed a police officer, which prompted another officer to shoot him in the head, resulting in significant brain damage.

Family private investigator Mike Bolhuis told TimesLIVE that Cloete’s condition has improved. “Cloete is much better. He is, however, still confined to a wheelchair. He will never be the same person that he was. He is able to speak simple words like yes and no, and he is able to show emotion, and he can get very emotionally attached to certain situations,” he said.

“The case pertaining to Cloete with the police as well as with (police watchdog) Ipid are not finalised, and they are awaiting certain reports before they can be finalised.”

Bolhuis emphasised that Cloete cannot provide written or verbal statements, making it challenging to conclude the case. “This is not a cold case. It cannot be concluded because Len cannot give a statement. Neither can he give a verbal explanation of his side of the story. We can get nothing from Len to put in the dockets.

“There are several dockets, and we can’t get anything in a written form to put in the dockets, so the police can’t get statements from him. This case will be open up to a point where all parties and authorities involved will probably make an informed decision and then the authorities, and the state prosecutor will make a final decision.”

As the investigation continues, concerns surrounding police conduct and accountability remain.

Bolhuis said it would be difficult to find authorities guilty. “There’s a lot of things that you need to look into at the scene and how things happened. Was there imminent danger? Was it a life-threatening situation? Was it absolutely necessary? Was there any form of negligence? Was the police officer fully trained? Were the police fully trained and qualified? Was that policeman supposed to be there?

“These questions are asked due to the situation in that area, where specific policemen are used, especially where there are possibilities of rowdy or problematic characters or situations at night. Remember, this happened that night as well.

“A policeman who works during the day faces a different situation than one who works at night, as the latter is more prone to crime. Because of all of this, this is a case. It’s not uncommon for it to lay dormant for a couple of years; sometimes it just slides away and dies a slow death.”

Ipid spokesperson Lizzy Suping confirmed investigators were awaiting the technical/toxicology report on a powder found in Cloete’s hotel room. She said this report is crucial to advancing the investigation.