Norma Gigaba to appear in court on Monday
Norma Gigaba, the wife of former cabinet minister Malusi Gigaba, is expected to appear in court on Monday.
Gigaba was arrested on Friday night in the presence of her husband at their home in Waterkloof, Pretoria. She is expected to appear in the Hatfield magistrate's court.
It is alleged that the mother of two damaged a high-end car that her husband had been using after borrowing it from a friend.
She was released from the holding cells of Brooklyn police station in Pretoria on Saturday.
Her attorney, Victor Nkwashu, confirmed that the 40-year-old was released on R5,000 bail.
A source told The Sunday Times that a threat on Gigaba's life had been uncovered in June, and when Norma allegedly attacked the car two weeks ago in what other sources said was a “jealous rage”, they used the opportunity to establish her involvement in the alleged conspiracy.
“The threat on Malusi Gigaba's life was reported to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation [the Hawks]. A team was assembled to look into these allegations. Intelligence was collected and the allegations were found to be credible,” the Hawks source told the paper.
The R3m black Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG “G-Wagon” had been lent to her husband by a friend.
The 40-year-old is said to have gone on a rampage in which she allegedly left deep scratches in the Mercedes.
The police docket indicates that the damage inflicted on the car was so severe that it would take about R500,000 to fix.
The Sunday Times further reported that Norma also allegedly trashed her husband's study and called a friend of his on the phone to threaten and insult him.
The friend also laid a complaint of crimen injuria against Norma.
NOTE: Article modified on August 31, 2020 to remove the name of the person who was believed to have lent the vehicle to Gigaba. This is in response to an application brought by the individual, who is demanding R5m in damages and an interdict to bar five media houses from naming him in connection with the criminal proceedings.