Newzroom Afrika Takes Aldrin Sampear Off Air As It Reviews Road Rage Incident

TV news channel Newzroom Afrika has announced that its anchor, Aldrin Sampear, will take a break from his duties as it reviews a road rage incident he was involved in last week.

A video of the incident showed Sampear engaging in a verbal altercation with 20-year-old Johannesburg resident Laricia Augusto.

Augusto reportedly filed assault charges against the media personality , who has denied wrongdoing.

In a statement on Tuesday 22 April, Newzroom Afrika said Sampear will take a break from his broadcast duties with immediate effect, pending an internal review of the matter.

Newzroom Afrika takes the allegations very seriously and we will work swiftly to address the concerns raised, it added.

Sampear anchors the channels AM Report between 06:00 and 09:00 from Monday to Friday. He has denied assaulting Augusto and claims the video she shared was edited.

"I'm horrified to see an edited version of the video because I actually went to my car to go fetch my phone and licence to share with the driver," he told The Citizen .

"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.

Sampear joined the channel last year following his stint at SAfm , where he hosted the Beyond The Headline show. He previously worked at Power 98.7 as well as various community and regional radio stations.

The seasoned broadcaster and journalist often reminisces about how he rose from humble beginnings. In an Instagram post in January this year, he revealed that his family home was a shack.