Mpumalanga - A woman accused of murdering her husband told the Middelburg Magistrate's Court he had regularly subjected her and her children to horrific abuse, according to a report on Monday.
Ronell Botma is applying for bail in the case in which she is charged with the murder of her husband, Tizi Ciciliato.
She appeared in court last week, together with her domestic worker Annah Mokwana, 51, Mokwana's sister Bule Dinah Mokwana, 45, Mbuso Khoza, 29, Henry Chego, 29, Doctor Jacob Tlou, 30, and Tsietsi Letsebe, 34.
The case was postponed until Monday, Beeld reported.
The seven accused face charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Ciciliato was stabbed and bludgeoned to death with a hammer in his Middelburg home two weeks ago.
Josef van Eeden, Botma's attorney, last week read a psychiatric report compiled by Professor Vollie Spies, who evaluated Botma earlier in the week.
Spies said Ciciliato had abused Botma emotionally, verbally and physically.
“She was not permitted to make decisions and he began to isolate her. He controlled her finances and she was forbidden to socialise outside her family.”
According to the report, Ciciliato demanded absolute obedience in his home, and Fleming and her children were regularly choked, beaten, humiliated and tied up.
The report also stated that Botma had tried to leave her husband four years ago, but that he had caught her and threatened to kill her. - Sapa