Man, 34, arrested for allegedly kicking and beating mother of his child

A 34-year-old man, who allegedly assaulted the mother of his child by kicking her and beating her with a pole, has been arrested.

He has been charged with three counts of assault with intention to cause grievous bodily harm.

It is alleged that, on Thursday, the victim went with her sister to the man’s house to fetch her four-year-old daughter.

“An argument broke out between the two, whereupon the suspect outrageously assaulted her with a wooden pole and other means. During the fuss, the sister of the victim as well as her child also sustained injuries, hence the three counts,” police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said in a statement.

“Police were notified about the incident and the suspect was immediately arrested.”

A video of the incident has since gone viral.

Thomas Jabu Manana, who is a high school teacher in Kwamhlanga, Mpumalanga, appeared in the Kwamhlanga Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

The matter has been postponed.

Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Mondli Zuma said he was deeply distraught by the incident, as it only adds to the already intolerable increase in gender-based violence (GBV) acts.

“As police, we will not hesitate to lock suspects up who are exasperating [sic] acts of GBV. I wonder what is going on in the mind of a man who intentionally picks up a wooden pole, [and] assaults a defenceless and vulnerable woman with it,” Zuma said.

“I am delighted, though, that he has been arrested and we will await with bated breath for the court to deal with this matter, so as for the victims to find closure.”

Zuma further expressed concerns that the incident unfolded in front of a minor, who was also injured during the commotion.

“It is deeply regrettable that children are often exposed to a wave of violence perpetuated by their own parents, whom they are looking up to as their moral compass and I have no doubt in my mind that this will have a dire impact on their lives.

“I am afraid they might inherit the same violent nature as a way out in resolving confrontational situations in their own families and this is a worrying phenomenon.”

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