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Fallen ‘Angel of Soweto’ collapses at court

WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.

Original Post Date: 2007-02-20 Time: 00:00:00  Posted By: Jan

February 20 2007 at 04:33AM

By Lebogang Seale

Jacqueline Maarohanye – the woman dubbed “the Angel of Soweto” – will spend three more nights in a prison cell because of what a magistrate said was her tendency to intimidate witnesses and her history of conflict with the law.

Mama Jackie – as the principal of Ithuteng Trust is popularly known – was denied bail on Monday at the Protea magistrate’s court in Soweto.

She was appearing on a charge of kidnapping and assault relating to the alleged kidnapping and assault of Sowetan journalist Vusi Ndlovu at her Klipspruit, Soweto, school on Saturday.

Soon after the decision was handed down, Maarohanye collapsed in the holding cells at the court and had to be taken to Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital.

However, she was later discharged and taken back to the Kliptown police cells, where she had been held since her arrest on Sunday night.

Maarohanye’s lawyer, Ike Motloung, pleaded unsuccessfully with the court to release her on bail.

He argued that the police had enough time to investigate, that his client had a school with 1 200 pupils to run and that her continued incarceration would make it difficult for her to prepare for her impending trial.

“You don’t just detain somebody simply for further investigations unless there is proof that the person would temper with any further investigations or (state) witnesses if released on bail,” said Motloung, who also represented soccer star Benedict Vilakazi in his rape trial.

“There was an ordinary school business in the form of parents meeting on that day, but the complainant in question (Ndlovu) simply walked in. Doesn’t that make one wonder?

“Was this not an attempt… to unsettle her (before her impending case)? It’s significant that this kind of thing appears to follow her in her place of business.”

Rejecting this argument, magistrate Herman Badenhorst said: “What bothers me most is your (Mama Jackie’s) tendency to intimidate witnesses, based on previous reports (and) your outstanding cases of running into trouble with the police.”

Moments before the trial started, a seemingly depressed Maarohanye, who was limping, shared a few pleasantries with some relatives and friends.

Sitting next to her was co-accused Patricia Molaba, who works for the Oprah Winfrey Foundation in South Africa.

She faces the same charge as the Ithuteng principal.

Clad in a white shirt, black pants and wrapping a tracksuit top around her waist, Maarohanye showed uneasy calm, often stroking her hair and biting her nails while chatting to Molaba.

No sooner had she settled in the witness stand than the state made clear its intention to oppose bail.

This prompted her to become even more agitated.

Unlike Molaba, who looked calm and relaxed throughout the proceedings, Maarohanye appeared distressed as she stared straight at the magistrate.

Occasionally she would send a few glances at state prosecutor Adrian Lamprecht and her own defence counsel.

Motloung argued that the accused’s interests should be balanced against those of justice and the state.

“The fact remains that the state hasn’t had enough time to prepare and that there are statements still outstanding, as well as some (camera) footage to be studied.”

Lamprecht said it should also be considered that Maarohanye still had a pending case of public violence and malicious damage to property.

Maarohanye’s face was etched in agony when Badenhorst ruled that the bail application hearing should be postponed to Friday.

However, he granted Molaba bail of R2 000 after her attorney, Jabu Ndhlovu, had argued that the tate should fix bail as she had not committed a serious offence.

“She only went to the school because she received an SMS from her child reading, ‘Mommy, there is trouble at the school’.

“She only went there in the interests of the child.”

Ndhlovu argued that his client was a single parent with a fixed address and a demanding job that required her to communicate with some businesses in the United States.

He also questioned the “infringement on the privacy of the school” by the journalist, who did not have a child there.

It was when Maarohanye was escorted back into the holding cells that she collapsed and had to be rushed to hospital.

Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson Malcolm Midgley said Maarohanye was suffering from anxiety and was distressed.

Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital spokesperson Hester van den Heever confirmed that Maarohanye was admitted to the hospital, where she was “treated and discharged in a satisfactory condition”.

However, she refused to disclose any further information without Maarohanye’s consent.

Motloung could only say that his client was “not well”.

Gauteng police spokesperson Sefako Xaba said Maarohanye was taken back to Kliptown Prison in Soweto once she was discharged from hospital.

If found guilty, Maarohanye could face a sentence of between five and 10 years.

Meanwhile, about 70 pupils from her school also appeared on charges of public violence after pelting the police with an assortment of objects when they went to the school looking for Maarohanye on Sunday.

Most were released in custody of their parents until March 8.

This article was originally published on page 1 of The Star on February 20, 2007