The woman at the centre of the KFC attack video which showed her being beaten by burly white men said she fears for her life.
Yesterday, Duduetsang Sono told The Star that her attackers could come after her family following reports that three of the four men were denied bail after it was revealed that they had given police fake addresses.
The alleged attackers can be heard swearing at Sono and her husband Jacob.
Sono, 33, said they were at KFC in Montana. She said the men had ordered and were supposed to fetch their food at the next window. However, they did not move and when Jacob asked them to, they started beating him up, Sono said.
The moment she realised he was being attacked, she started to record it. That seemed to infuriate the men who, according to Sono, turned around and attacked her. She said the men had a firearm.
In the video, Sono is heard shouting: “Are you f***en beating me up?” shortly after that she is shoved to the ground. She is again heard screaming: “Are you going to hit me? I am a f***ken woman.”
One of the men in the video can be heard saying ‘skiet hom, skiet hom’ (shoot him, shoot him).
“They were swearing at us and threatening to shoot.”
The couple sustained bruises and Jacob was said to have a ruptured ear canal.
“He went to an ear, nose and throat specialist who said it would heal on its own. We took X-rays and were told that there are no broken bones.”
Their family was concerned because things could have gone really bad, according to Sono. “We are fortunate that we are still okay,” said the mother-of-two.
Sono told The Star that she was unsure what legal action had been taken against these men as she had been receiving information about their bail application through media reports.
“I need feedback because I don’t know if these guys are out or not. My car registration number is also going around (on social media), so I don’t feel safe. We could be attacked. I feel vulnerable.”
Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula said on Twitter that the KFC attackers were linked to a number of assaults in the area.
“They assault black people around the area. We have arrested them,” he wrote.
The DA’s Adriana Randall condemned the violent incident of racial abuse and commended the rapid response of the police.
“In a democratic and constitutional dispensation, there is no room for racism and no person should live in fear of abuse based on the colour of his or her skin.”
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation also expressed its “disgust”, saying there was no justification for the abuse.
“The racial dynamics in this incident are glaring. It is deeply troubling that people have not learnt the lessons from the Spur incident (March 2017).
“There can be no justification for their vile racism and aggression.
“What is further distressing, is that this group had no qualms about beating up a woman – something reflective of the patriarchal values that are still entrenched in society,” said the foundation’s director Neeshan Balton.
Police spokesperson Colonel Kay Makhubele said the men arrested were named as M Hardeng, O Miller, RJ Mel and DJ Van Rooyen who are all between 20 and 39 years old.
The four appeared in court on Friday and one was granted bail.
Makhubele said the SAPS was still searching for two suspects who have been on the run since the attack.
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