Suspended SARS boss Tom Moyane may be prosecuted for assault after the teenage mother of his six-month-old grandson accused him of attacking her at his Johannesburg home last week.
Police this week confirmed that Moyane had been warned to be present at the Roodepoort Magistrate's Court on Friday when a prosecutor would decide whether to charge him with common assault.
Moyane allegedly kicked the 17-year-old, who is known to the Sunday Times, in the face "like a Ninja" and "rugby-tackled" her during an argument at a home in Weltevreden Park, Johannesburg. The house is owned by Moyane and his wife, Thandi.
He was said to have screamed at the woman, accusing her of witchcraft and blaming her for destroying his "empire".
A medical report by a doctor at Helen Joseph Hospital dated May 15 shows she suffered a bruised jaw, a cut to the inside of a cheek and a bruised abdomen.
"It's like they just woke up one day and hated me," she said. She said Moyane would often tell his son that she was not good enough for him.
The alleged incident took place amid a confrontation between Moyane, his son, Hlekani, and the young woman. The Sunday Times understands that Moyane did not want the young couple to stay at the home any longer.
Hlekani, 24, is Moyane's only child. He is an aspiring musician and has been in a relationship with the woman since late 2016. The child was born in November. She described Hlekani as kind and loving, who easily showed affection for her and their son.
Moyane allegedly tried to grab her phone. Later she tried to intervene when Moyane was strangling and hitting his son. She was kicked twice in the face by Moyane.
"He pushed me a few times. He called me a witch and accused me of using witchcraft. He said I was bad luck and blamed me for destroying his empire," she told the Sunday Times this week.
"When he realised my phone was on, he tackled me, like a rugby tackle, and pushed me up against the wall. I was holding my phone under my arm, and he started clawing at my stomach and arms to try get to the phone. Hlekani was in between trying to pull his father away from me," she said.According to police records, a complaint of assault was made at the Randburg police station by the woman's mother, Cynthia Masina, on May 15. The case was transferred to the Honeydew station and the docket taken to court on Friday.
Masina had been on the line with her daughter, and claimed to have heard Moyane shouting at her, demanding she get out of his home. Moyane allegedly threw the phone to the ground.
Moyane and his son then asked the woman to leave the room so that they could talk. But the situation again became violent when Moyane allegedly attacked his son and she intervened.
"I showed him my phone was on and told him I was recording him, trying to get him to stop," she said.
"He then tried to kick the phone out of my hand, and kicked me in the face."
She alleged that Moyane kicked her twice."I told him I was going to report him for assault, and he just laughed. He said no one in the house - there were painters there too - would say they saw anything."
A man believed to be a relative of Moyane's, who was present during the incident, could not be reached this week.
"The case will be placed on the roll on Friday next for a prosecutor's decision," said Gauteng police spokesman Colonel Lungelo Dlamini. "He [Moyane] has been warned to be at court."
Moyane and his lawyer, Eric Mabuza, were approached for comment. Questions were e-mailed to Mabuza and also sent via WhatsApp to Moyane on Friday morning. Moyane read all the texts from the Sunday Times, but did not respond.
Mabuza said he was briefed to act for Moyane in his disciplinary inquiry over his actions while at SARS, and was not aware of the assault allegations. "If I have time, I will give him a call," Mabuza said on Friday in response to follow-up questions.
Masina, who lives in Durban with her two other children, came to Johannesburg on the day of the alleged assault.
"I immediately booked a flight to Lanseria. I called a taxi for my daughter and told the driver to take her to the police station and that I would meet her there," Masina said.
"For months my daughter suffered emotional abuse by Moyane and his wife. But this was physical abuse. I could not stand it," Masina said.
Masina broke down in tears when her daughter spoke of her fears that she would be killed for lodging the criminal complaint against Moyane.
The young woman also said she had not seen her son for more than a month."They told me that if I came to see him, I must take him to stay with me. They know I don't have a job, and cannot look after him. They said I would not be allowed inside the house, and they would leave him out on the street without clothes or anything they had bought for him."
Masina said her grandson was treated "like a king" by Moyane, whose WhatsApp profile picture is of him and the baby.
Moyane was suspended by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March for his handling of allegations against his second-in-charge, Jonas Makwakwa, and for his alleged interference to ensure that a R70-million VAT refund was paid to the Gupta family.
He has been involved in a public spat with Ramaphosa in a series of letters to and from the president over the disciplinary hearing.
On Friday it emerged that Moyane had demanded that the inquiry get under way as soon as possible. Advocate Azhar Bham SC has been appointed to hear the inquiry.
cowank@timeslive.co.za..