LOOK: Man allegedly hunts and kicks ex-wife

Published Aug 16, 2017

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Johannesburg - A shocking video has been released to The Star of a woman being struck and kicked while on the ground by her ex-husband.

The footage comes at a time when the country is marking a Women’s Month that has been filled with numerous incidents of abuse against women.

The woman, *Famida (not her real name), contacted The Star for assistance, saying police had refused to find and arrest her husband despite complaints to the Booysens and Florida police stations.

However, after her husband *Abdul (not his real name) appeared in court last week on an assault charge, she decided to withdraw the charges and move back home because he agreed to go to anger management courses, as well as therapy.

Famida, who is in her 50s, married her second husband about five years ago, and they purchased a house together in the northern suburbs.

After a few years of abuse, she finally reported the matter to the police but, she alleges, they failed to take any action.

She left and went to stay with a relative in the southern suburbs of Joburg, but her husband tracked her down and beat her viciously because she refused to withdraw charges.

The incident was recorded by a locksmith who was working at the complex.

Her Uber driver, who had just dropped her off, was present when the attack took place and intervened, stopping the husband from continuing hitting her, asking how he could kick his wife.

His response was that she was his ex-wife, who he had divorced in terms of their Muslim tradition.

In explaining her reason for withdrawing charges and returning to him, Famida, in an affidavit to the court, said his brother had contacted her.

“They are a prominent business family in town and asked me to withdraw the charges,” she said.

In her affidavit, which The Star has seen, she says: “I decided to try to understand what he was doing. He said he was under too much pressure from the family and that he struck me out of anger after he returned from the family.”

She said the family were against the marriage.

She continued in her affidavit: “He admitted he has an anger problem with family because of our marriage of five years, and he is very remorseful because he did not intend to hit me.

“He agreed he would attend anger management classes immediately. He admitted to me that his anger was due to his upbringing.

“I withdrew on condition he attends anger management and therapy. I believe we can work together,” she continued.

However, Famida is still angry that the police did not react to her initial complaint, and did not look for him.

“I wish, this Women’s Month, to send a strong message to people that this is happening to women from all walks of life and that the police are not responding,” she said.

Nonhlanhla Skosana, Gauteng manager at Sonke Gender Justice, said leaving abusive partners was difficult for some women.

“Most who go back end up dead. The reason for the high number of women being killed by abusive partners is because they don’t want to let go. It is dangerous. They stay for reasons such as for economic health, because they want to belong and/or they don’t want to fail their family and friends.

“It is also a stigma in some cultures and religions to get divorced, and women feel it is expected by society that they should stay married, especially in religious communities where divorce is regarded as sinful and marriage is regarded as a holy space,” she said.

Captain Xoli Mbele of the Booysens police station said the docket had been transferred back to the Florida police station, where the original case had been opened.

Sergeant Mpho More said the husband had been arrested and released at one stage, but the victim had withdrawn the case.

Albert Modise, the taxi driver, said he was accompanying the victim home, and was seeing her to the door when the ex-husband stormed up and started hitting and kicking her.

“I asked him how he can hurt a woman like that and told him to accompany me to the police station, which he agreed to do, but later disappeared. I was shocked at how he was treating a woman.” For two days, The Star was unable to reach the emergency number for People Opposing Women Abuse.

The Star

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