A Cape Town woman accused of stealing a cellphone was subjected to a brutal assault, including an attempted drowning. The incident was captured on video and has since gone viral on social media.
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Criminal charges including assault, attempted murder, damage to property and theft have been filed against two individuals following the incident, which took place at an upscale restaurant in Franschhoek on 16 April 2023.
Ntombizodwa Sephoko (40), a resident of Philippi, said that she has physical scars and emotional trauma after being assaulted following the accusation that she had stolen a cellphone.
As reported by IOL, Sephoko and a friend were exploring the restaurant as a potential venue for a birthday celebration and had made a lunch reservation at the establishment.
‘It was not my first time at the restaurant, I am a regular there. On that day I went with my friend because she was planning to host her child’s birthday and needed to see the venue first.’
‘On our arrival while my friend was shooting content with me in it, I picked up a cellphone and as I was about to ask who it belonged to [when] I was attacked.’
Watch:
Content warning: Sephoko is seen being attacked by a man in a swimming pool before a woman intervenes.
The assailant has been identified as Johan van der Merwe.
Sephoko said that van der Merwe punched her repeatedly before dragging her into the swimming pool.
‘I thought I was going to die that day, no one came to my rescue besides his wife and son who eventually noticed that I was struggling to keep afloat as he kept on trying to drown me.’
On 30 May, Sephoko received a notification via SMS from Groot-Drakenstein SAPS, informing her about the arrest and charges pressed against the suspect, Van der Merwe, who had his initial court appearance on the same day.
She was requested to report to the Groot-Drakenstein Police Station following a theft case lodged against her by Van der Merwe.
Detective Clive Windvogel, who was assigned to the case, confirmed that both incidents involving Sephoko and Johan van de Merwe remain active.
According to police spokesperson FC van Wyk, the case filed by Sephoko has been registered as an attempted murder investigation while Van der Merwe has opened a case of common assault and malicious damage to property against Sephoko.
Expressing concern over the recorded incident, Kagiso Themba, the EFF spokesperson deployed to the Cape Winelands District, remarked, ‘The content of that video is deeply troubling.’
‘The continuation of racism and the appearance of black people in the image of white people as thieves and thugs must come to an end.’
‘What I see there is an attempted murder, it goes beyond the violation of a person’s rights to dignity and access to the restaurants but also the person’s right to be declared innocent until proven guilty.’
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Picture: Screenshot of video on Social media