- The man is a high school teacher in Kwamhlanga,
Mpumalanga. - He allegedly assaulted the mother of his child by
kicking her and beating her with a wooden pole. - He has been arrested and charged with three counts
of assault.
A 34-year-old man, who allegedly assaulted the
mother of his child by kicking her and beating her with a pole, has been
arrested.
He has been charged with three counts of assault
with intention to cause grievous bodily harm.
It is alleged that, on Thursday, the victim went
with her sister to the man’s house to fetch her four-year-old daughter.
“An argument broke out between the two,
whereupon the suspect outrageously assaulted her with a wooden pole and other
means. During the fuss, the sister of the victim as well as her child also
sustained injuries, hence the three counts,” police spokesperson Brigadier
Leonard Hlathi said in a statement.
“Police were notified about the incident and the
suspect was immediately arrested.”
A video of the incident has since gone viral.
Thomas Jabu Manana, who is a high school teacher in
Kwamhlanga, Mpumalanga, appeared in the Kwamhlanga Magistrate’s Court on
Friday.
The matter has been postponed.
‘Worrying phenomenon’
Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General
Mondli Zuma said he was deeply distraught by the incident, as it only adds to
the already intolerable increase in gender-based violence (GBV) acts.
“As police, we will not hesitate to lock
suspects up who are exasperating [sic] acts of GBV. I wonder what is going on
in the mind of a man who intentionally picks up a wooden pole, [and] assaults a
defenceless and vulnerable woman with it,” Zuma said.
“I am delighted, though, that he has been
arrested and we will await with bated breath for the court to deal with this
matter, so as for the victims to find closure.”
Zuma further expressed concerns that the incident
unfolded in front of a minor, who was also injured during the commotion.
“It is deeply regrettable that children are
often exposed to a wave of violence perpetuated by their own parents, whom they
are looking up to as their moral compass and I have no doubt in my mind that
this will have a dire impact on their lives.
“I am afraid they might inherit the same
violent nature as a way out in resolving confrontational situations in their
own families and this is a worrying phenomenon.”
