Update: Case opened against mother who abused child in Fourways

Update 14 December at 8am

A case has been opened against the woman who was recorded hitting her disabled child in a Fourways Gardens restaurant in a video that went viral on social media last week.

Captain Mpho Kgoasane, the spokesperson for Douglasdale Police Station, could not divulge details about the case to Fourways Review, however, Kgoasane did say investigations are underway.

“I can confirm that a case [against the woman seen in the video] has been opened at this station and that the incident is currently under investigation. There is no time frame for the investigation.”

On 7 December at La Nouva restaurant, the mother is seen in the video becoming frustrated with her disabled son’s refusal to eat and begins hitting him. When confronted by other patrons about her actions, the woman became aggressive and angry, swearing loudly at other patrons and knocking one of the restaurant tables over. Part of the exchange was captured on a witness’ cellphone and subsequently posted on the I Love Fourways Facebook group.

Roberto Menego, co-founder of the Brothers For Life (BFL) and Sisters For Life (SFL) Against Abuse organisations became involved in the matter. He told Fourways Review that a case had been opened by one of the people who had witnessed the incident but could give no further details.

Initial Report, 9 December at 12.30pm

The Fourways community has expressed outrage after a video surfaced online showing a woman hitting her disabled child at a Fourways Gardens Shopping Centre restaurant at about 1pm on 7 December.

The woman, whose identity is known to the Fourways Review, is apparently a regular to the La Nouva restaurant in the centre, according to both the owners and regular patrons.
“[Another patron] asked her waitress to please call me,” explained Kyri Tjirkos, co-owner of the restaurant when asked about the incident. “[The patron] asked me to take a seat at her table and watch was happening outside.”

Read No mercy for child abusers

The abusive woman was sitting in the restaurant’s outside seating area with her son, who appeared to have special needs. The woman had ordered a plate of pasta for her child and was attempting to feed him.

“The boy wasn’t eating properly, maybe he didn’t want the food, and the woman became frustrated and began to smack [the boy] across the head and try to force-feed him.”
Nearby patrons saw this and tried to intervene, telling the woman that she could not do that to the boy.

“A man sitting nearby approached her, and I think at that point she lost complete control. She began swearing at the people watching her, hitting the child more and even overturned one of the tables, breaking the plates that were on it.

“At this point, I went outside and tried to calm the man down, because I thought that he was making her more angry and I didn’t want the situation to get physical. Then the [shopping centre’s] security guard arrived on the scene and began comforting the young boy who was crying.”

The woman apologised to Tjirkos for the damage she had caused, offered to pay for it and then followed the security guard, who had decided to take the child outside to try and calm him.

Following the incident, co-owner, Tyrone Dewitt, managed to get the contact details for the woman’s husband, who arrived at the restaurant later that afternoon for a meeting to discuss the matter with Dewitt and Tjirkos.

“We talked to [her husband] about what had happened, and he has agreed to work with us to ensure that the child is safe and taken care of. The woman has been banned from our premises because those sort of action will not be tolerated,” explained Tjirkos.

Read Men and women take a stand against women and child abuse

“It was shocking and, as a father myself, I don’t care about what people may be saying about the restaurant – the thing that matters to me is the boy’s well-being. And while we are trying to work with his father, if his response to this is not appropriate, I myself, will take measures to do what’s best for the child with authorities. That is my biggest concern.”

The woman had been frequenting the restaurant since it came under new ownership in 2014, and although Tjirkos had heard rumours that she could be a difficult customer, he assured the Fourways Review that he had never witnessed such behaviour before.

One of the patrons who had witnessed the incident, Dan Carson  recorded the events on his cellphone and posted it on the I Love Fourways’ Facebook page, where it received hundreds of comments from residents who were shocked and outraged. He emphasised that both the mother and some may need professional counselling to deal with the stress associated with caring for  a loved one with a disability.

Watch video taken by Dan Carson here: 

Commenters demanded that something should be done about the situation, and Roberto Menego, co-founder of the Brothers and Sisters For Life (BFL and SFL) Against Abuse local branch was contacted for his help. “We [as an organisation] are not prepared to tolerate such things,” Menego said of the incident.

“We have contacted social workers and child welfare about the matter, and now we have to wait while they investigate.

“In other cases that we have dealt with, I myself have physically carried children out of abusive homes, but if we had done that this time, we could’ve been charged with kidnapping.
“I understand that witnesses were in shock after seeing what had happened, but my question is, why didn’t anyone make a citizen’s arrest of the woman, and make her stay there until the police arrived at the scene? They even could have put her in a car and driven her to the local police station to lay charges against her.”

At this stage, it is still unclear if any charges have been laid against the woman. Although her name, address and phone number are known to some people, including Menego, he said that attempts to contact her in order to provide help have, so far, been unsuccessful.
This story will be updated when more details become available.

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