Norma Gigaba arrested on assault charge: police source

The Hawks on Friday confirmed that the wife of a former minister had been arrested in Pretoria.

“She was arrested based on allegations of assault and damage to property and a warrant for her arrest had been issued,” said Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi.

The woman is expected to spend the weekend behind bars, and will appear in a Pretoria court on Monday.

Mulaudzi would not confirm the woman's identity, but a police source, speaking off the record, confirmed to TimesLIVE that the woman in question was Norma Gigaba, wife of former home affairs and public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba.

The source also confirmed the contents of a circulating WhatsApp message which stated that two officers arrested Norma on Friday and that she was being held at the Brooklyn police station until her court appearance.

Two complainants, including Gigaba himself, had opened the charges.

TimesLIVE reliably understands that the matter involves major damage inflicted on a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon worth in the region of R3m. A video circulating on social media shows smashed mirrors and glass on the floor, and long scratches down the passenger side. One of the scratches appears to spell out the word “cheater”.

Asked why the Hawks — who usually investigate corruption, organised and other serious crimes — had picked up this case instead of SAPS, Mulaudzi said it had been handed over to them.

“The case was with the police and it was referred to us based on an investigation that we were busy with — a more serious investigation — which is not linked to the assault or malicious damage to property.

“That investigation falls within the mandate of the Hawks,” he said, without elaborating.

TimesLIVE