A shocked atmosphere descended over the Welkom Magistrate’s Court during the bail application of the women accused of torturing and viciously assaulting a frail 81-year-old woman at the Silver Village Assisted Living Facility in Welkom.
WO Anje Tait, the investigating officer, took to the stand on Wednesday, 16 July, and told the court of the scenes she had observed in a video that captured the assault.
She described severe verbal abuse and scoldings that accused number 1, Lynette Brummer, had directed at the frail victim, who only weighs 40kg.
She described how Brummer had bound the victim’s hands with duct tape and how she had wound the tape repeatedly around the victim’s head to quieten her cries and screams.
“You can scream, no-one can hear you.”
Tait says the employees at the old-age home were aware of the camera in the victim’s room. It was in plain sight.
Brummer (accused number 1) knew of the camera and she knew she was being filmed.
There are more than 30 videos that have been made available to the court.
The four accused were arrested on Wednesday 9 July, and two additional arrests followed on Monday.
The accused are: Lynette Brummer (64), Anna Fourie (73), Nomsa
Ngcongwane (56) and Prudence
Majorobella (35), and also Mofolo
Ntswaki (30) and Puseleletso Mola (33).
They stand accused of attempted murder (a schedule 5 crime), kidnapping (a schedule 6 crime), assault GBH (a schedule 5 crime) and charges under the Old Persons Act 13 of 2006. A new charge of torture has been added.
Tait told the court that another case implicating the accused has been made at the Welkom Police Station. She also referred to a third case that is pending.
Vista previously reported on vistanews.co.za about the gruesome acts of cruelty and depravity that have come to light following video camera footage being discovered.
The video footage and photographs depict the extreme verbal, mental, and physical abuse the elderly woman was subjected to.
Weighing a mere 40kg, she was no match for the attendants at her bedside − sometimes up to four women at a time.
The elderly woman was physically subdued and restrained withduct tape.
Her mouth and hands were bound so that she could not move.
The emotional scenes playing off in the video are exacerbated by the photos of extremely bruised hands, bleeding lips from the duct tape and bruises, scratches, and scrapes to the face.
■ By the time of Vista going to print, the bail application was still in session.
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