Pietermaritzburg - A Msinga woman who claimed she was assaulted while in police custody was awarded R50 000 by the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday.
Acting Judge Piet Bezuidenhout and Judge Rashid Vahed ordered Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa to compensate her.
Thulakele Ngubane said she was hit with a stick, kicked all over her body, and suffocated while in custody.
The incident occurred while she was being questioned in October 2010 about an illegal handgun found in her home.
She appeared in the Msinga Magistrate's Court three days later.
Msinga is between Greytown and Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal.
Sapa