Cape Town - An alleged stolen cellphone was the cause of a vicious assault and attempted drowning sustained by a Cape Town woman.
Part of the attack has been captured on video and has gone viral on social media.
Criminal cases of assault, attempted murder, damage to property and theft have been laid against two diners at the swanky Savoye restaurant on the Vrede en Lust Wine Estate in Franschhoek.
Ntombizodwa Sephoko, 40, from Philippi said she had permanent scars and was traumatised after she was attacked by a fellow diner at the restaurant in, Franschhoek.
She said the incident happened on April 16, as she and a friend went to check out the restaurant as a possible venue for a birthday party.
They had also booked the venue for lunch.
“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 I was attacked.”
In a video that was widely shared, a bloodied Sephoko is seen being attacked by a man inside a swimming pool, who appears to be trying to drown her.
Her top is bloodied as the man is seen trying to drown her.
Eventually the son and the wife of the attacker came to her rescue separating the man from her. She has identified the man as a Johan van der Merwe.
“That man, Johan van der Merwe punched me repeatedly before dragging me and jumping inside the pool with me.
“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.”
Sephoko said she laid a charge of attempted murder and Van der Merwe apparently laid a charge of theft against her.
On May 30, Sephoko received an SMS from Groot-Drakenstein SAPS informing her that the suspect (Van der Merwe) was arrested and charged, his first appearance in court was on the very same day.
With that she was also asked to hand herself in at Groot-Drakenstein police station following a case of theft opened by Van der Merwe against her.
The detective assigned to the case, Clive Windvogel said the matter involving two cases between Sephoko and Johan van de Merwe is still active.
For his next court appearance date, Windvogel said he is still waiting for the docket to come back from court and he will communicate the next court date with the victim.
Savoye restaurant owner, Etienne Buys, said he was made aware of the incident that happened on April 16, a Sunday afternoon lunch time.
He said he was called and when he got to the restaurant he saw “three African ladies and one of them was wet”.
“I was told that the one lady tried to steal either a wallet or a phone belonging to the gentleman's wife while they were busy with their pre-lunch prayer. Allegedly the gentleman tackled the lady jumping into the swimming pool.”
On an accusation that the restaurant refused to assist SAPS with the incident footage, Buys said the restaurant does not have CCTV cameras.
What they have are small cameras that run on a circle forcing it to delete the old footage when the newer one is being recorded.
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said the case opened by Sephoko is an attempted murder case registered for investigation at Groot Drakenstein SAPS for investigation.
“According to the reported complaint, the complainant (Sephoko) and friends were at a farm in Simondium on 16 April 2023. The accused (Van der Merwe) and a group of people were busy praying when she (Sephoko) noticed a cellphone on the floor. She then picked it up and waited for the people to finish praying.
“When she asked to whom the cellphone belonged she was attacked by the accused and pushed into the swimming pool.
“Accused also jumped in and started to strangle her and tried to drown her. Accused wife then joined to separate her husband from the complainant. The suspect was arrested”.
Van Wyk said Van der Merwe opened a common assault and malicious damage to property case.
“According to the complainant he and his family were at a farm in Simondium on 16 April 2023. The complainant's family asked his mother-in-law to pray for the food. They then saw an unknown female taking something out of his wife’s bag. Accused (Sephoko) then pushed him into the swimming pool and slapped him. Accused (Sephoko) then damaged his wife’s cellphone. The suspect (Sephoko) was arrested,” Van Wyk said.
EFF spokesperson, deployed to the Cape Winelands District, Kagiso Themba said, “what we saw in that video is quite disturbing”.
“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.”
Cape Agrus