- Charges of theft have been withdrawn against journalist and restaurateur Jacques Pauw over an incident at a Cape Town restaurant.
- The NPA said this was at the request of the restaurant which had complained to police.
- The writer had claimed that he was roughed up by police, arrested, and that R1 000 had gone missing, but later changed his story to say he was actually drunk and had got the facts wrong.
Charges have been withdrawn against journalist and restaurateur Jacques Pauw who had claimed to have been manhandled by police over an unpaid bill at a V&A restaurant.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said this was at the request of the complainant.
The renowned President's Keepers author and veteran investigative journalist had claimed in a Daily Maverick column that he was roughed up by police, arrested, detained, and that R1 000 ad gone missing in the fracas.
The insinuation was that the police may have taken it.
This sparked an outpouring of outrage over the way the respected writer had been allegedly treated.
However, in another column published by the Daily Maverick, Pauw did an about-turn, saying he had got his facts wrong.
The Daily Maverick subsequently severed ties with the writer.
Comment from Pauw was not immediately available on Thursday.
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