This has left a woman with a criminal record.
Pretoria – As the saying goes, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but this sometimes has dire consequences.
A Durban woman discovered this after she assaulted another woman and cut off pieces of her hair, saying she apparently meddled in her love life
Sara Banu Ishwarlall pleaded guilty in the Durban Regional Court to the kidnapping, assault and criminal defamation of a 52-year-old woman in Chatsworth in May last year.
Ishwarlall’s friend and co accused, Samadhanum Jane Andrew, pleaded guilty to the same counts in March.
The complainant was in a relationship with Andrew’s boyfriend. Andrew discovered the affair and decided to attack the complainant, enlisting the assistance of Ishwarlall.
The court heard that Ishwarlall accosted the complainant, forced her into a car and took her to Ishwarlall’s house where they assaulted her and cut off pieces of her hair.
They filmed this interrogation and posted it on social media. The post went viral.
Prosecutor Surekha Marimuthu handed in a victim impact statement compiled by the complainant, in which she said this ordeal caused her immense embarrassment. She and her family had to refrain from going out as the community mocked and humiliated them.
The court sentenced Ishwarlall to a fine of R20000 or six years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for a period of three years on condition that she is not convicted of the same offence during the period of suspension. She was ordered to submit a written apology to the complainant and compensate her with R5000.
In welcoming the conviction, the Director of Public Prosecutions in Kwa-Zulu-Natal, advocate Elaine Zungu, said: “The complainant suffered humiliation, not only at the hands of the accused but also on social media, where the video went viral.”
She said matters of a similar nature are becoming prevalent, and that
she expressed the hope that like-minded individuals take note of the court’s response.
Pretoria News
