Norma Mngoma case postponed, wants charges dropped

Mngoma is alleged to have caused extensive damage to a Mercedes-Benz driven by her estranged husband, former minister Malusi Gigaba.

Former minister Malusi Gigaba’s estranged wife, Norma Mngoma. Picture: Jacques Nelles

Norma Mngoma appeared at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on charges of alleged assault and malicious damage to property on Friday.

The case was postponed to 26 March for representations to made to the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) and her bail was extended.

Prominent lawyer Dali Mpofu, representing Mngoma, argued that due to the high court ruling on Thursday that her arrest was motivated by an abuse of power, the case must be dropped.

Mpofu said it would be understandable for the state to require some time to study the judgment.

“The judgment speaks for itself and it would not be a difficult decision to withdraw or terminate the charges,” he said.

Mngoma won her high court battle after challenging her arrest by the Hawks in July 2020. Judge Cassim Sardiwalla ruled that the arrest was unlawful and should be set aside.

The judge said the Hawks abused their powers in an attempt to intimidate her, also ruling that they should return Mngoma’s her cellphones and laptops and restore all the information downloaded from them.

ALSO READ: Norma Mngoma’s arrest by the Hawks was unlawful, rules high court

Mngoma was arrested after she allegedly caused extensive damage to a Mercedes-Benz driven by her estranged husband, former minister Malusi Gigaba.

As for the crimen injuria charges, the charge sheet stated that Mngoma sent an insulting SMS accusing an unnamed person of selling tenders, sleeping with older women and using her husband as a “ticket to cheating with women”.

Police Minister Bheki Cele, in an interview on eNCA, expressed his disappointment and confusion over the high court judgment. He says police sought the warrant of arrest in court and the warrant was granted, intimating that the issue lay with the courts.

Cele said police followed procedure and the law, further stating the high court should not have ruled against the police but rather the court who granted the arrest warrant.

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