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Chopper crash widows claiming R9m from police

Johannesburg - Three women widowed by a helicopter crash which killed their policeman husbands in eMahlaleni in 2010 are seeking a default judgment worth R9m in their claims against the police, Beeld reported on Monday.

The women's lawyer Barry Hurter said the police had asked him several times not to go ahead with the application on 2 February in the North Gauteng High Court.

But he said the police had not responded to their previous summonses.

"It just does not happen. It is really difficult to litigate against the state attorney when their office is in disarray," said Hurter.

Diane Gouws, widow of warrant officer Thinus Gouws, Florence Davids, widow of warrant officer Colin Davids and Thuli Maduna, widow of Colonel Percy Maduna submit in court papers pilot Captain Wickus Zaayman's alleged negligence caused the crash on 23 June 2010.

Sergeant Kobus Henning, warrant officer Dirk van Aswegen and Sergeant Daniel de Bruyn also died in the crash.

The office of the state attorney has indicated that it would oppose the claims because they would adversely affect the tax payer, and would also deny that Zaayman was responsible.

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