A LA Lucia resident said she is still struggling to understand what motivated a physical and verbal assault on her while she was walking her dogs earlier this week. Priya Maharaj sustained a jaw dislocation as well as bruises to her chest and abdomen and was called an ‘Indian b*tch’ in the assault by a neighbour on Burnham Drive. The incident occurred on Saturday, 27 June at about 6pm.

“I normally stop off at my folks’ house every day to walk two of my older dogs, Hamlet and Bell. Hamlet has hip dysplasia, so he needs the exercise. He is also quite slow and he likes to sniff around. When we got to one of the neighbour’s verges, their dogs began to bark at my dogs and they barked back.

“Then the owner showed up and angrily said, “Get off my property, Indian b*tch, or I’ll open the gates and let the dogs out and then you’ll see.” I replied that it was a public street and continued walking.

As I was nearing my folks’ home just two doors down, I saw the woman running up to me. She shoved me and then punched me in the jaw. I remember falling backwards on to the floor, and she continued slapping and kicking at me. She even grabbed one of my dog’s leashes and pulled her away,” she said.

The 33-year-old’s anguished cries for help and her dogs’ wailing alerted Maharaj’s mother, who came out to help.

“I was just so shocked, I didn’t have time to react. I’d never been assaulted before, but I just froze when the attack began. The more I think about it the angrier I get, it has been playing in mind over and over. Why did she do it? I’ve been walking my dogs for years and I still can’t quite comprehend how she thought she’d get away with it,” she said.

Despite the assault, Maharaj has begun walking her dogs on the same road but admitted she’d avoid walking on the side of the road where the assault occurred.

Lt Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the Durban North SAPS, confirmed the incident and said a case of assault had been opened at the station.