Babes Wodumo and sister fined R1,000 for failing to appear in court

Gqom star Babes Wodumo and her sister, Nondumiso Simelane, have been found guilty of contempt of court and ordered to pay a R1,000 fine.

The two, along with artist Tipcee - real name Thobeka Ndaba - appeared in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Monday after a warrant for their arrest was issued on Friday. The warrant was issued for the trio after they failed to appear in court on a common assault charge.

They were arrested in Durban on Monday.

The Simelane sisters told the court that they were unable to make the appearance because they had car trouble on their way back to Durban from Pietermaritzburg.

However magistrate Jackie Jonck didn't buy their excuse saying that "no one is above the law, even artists".

"The court can understand cars break down, but I cannot understand why they didn't present themselves after the car was fixed at 11:30am because the warrant had not been issued yet," said Jonck.

Tipcee got off on a warning because she presented a doctor's note.

Prosecutor Nokululeko Msiya said that it was necessary for conditions to be stipulated to avoid them skipping another court appearance.

All three women were ordered to present themselves to the Umbilo police station every Tuesday. They were also asked to make a court application if they wished to leave the area. 

The matter was remanded until April 24 for the common assault charges relating to an incident that occurred in March.