Mama Jackey Maarohanye will spend at least this week in custody, writes Thembela Khamango in The Sowetan.
Her bid to be checked into a hospital, instead of spending another night in jail failed yesterday when she was promptly returned to a police cell after being examined briefly at Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital.
Police said Maarohanye, 49, collapsed in the holding cells of the Protea magistrates’ court minutes before she was to be taken back to the Kliptown police station.
Maarohanye claimed she was assaulted during her arrest.
In a scene reminiscent of the Schabir Shaik saga, Maarohanye managed to be taken to hospital instead of prison.
After spending more than 80 days in hospital with a heart ailment, Shaik was last week ordered by Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour to be removed from the St Augustines Hospital and sent back to Westville Prison.
Outside court, Maarohanye’s attorney Ike Motloung refused to say what was wrong with his client other than to confirm she had been taken to hospital.
Maarohanye appeared in court with Patricia Molaba, 34, who works for the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, on charges of kidnapping and assaulting Sowetan reporter Vusi Ndlovu.
The state requested that the court postpone the case until February 23 as they had not finished collecting statements from witnesses .
Motloung argued that it was not in the interest of justice to keep Maarohanye detained while the state collected evidence. He asked how Maarohanye would tamper with evidence if she was released on bail.
Motloung later told the court that some journalists were out to discredit Maarohanye and qualified this by pointing out that the matter before the court involves a journalist.
He said trouble followed Maarohanye to her house “because the journo came to her, she did not go out looking for [him]â€ÂÂ.
Click here to read the full report, posted on The Sowetan's website.ÂÂÂ
