Cops are investigating a fight at a posh Franschhoek restaurant, where a Philippi woman is believed to have nearly been drowned by a man.
It is understood that the altercation started after the ou accused the vrou of stealing his wife’s cellphone, and then attacked her.
Part of the bots was captured on video and has since gone viral on social media.
Criminal cases of assault, attempted murder, damage to property and theft have been laid against the two diners at the larney Savoye restaurant on the Vrede en Lust Wine Estate, reports the Cape Argus.
Ntombizodwa Sephoko, 40, from Philippi claims that she was left with permanent scars after she was attacked by a fellow diner at the restaurant in Pearl Valley.
She says the incident took place on Sunday, April 16, when she and a friend went to check out the restaurant as a possible venue for a birthday party.
“It was not my first time at the restaurant, I am a regular there.
“On that day I went with my friend because she was planning to host her child’s birthday and needed to see the venue first,” Ntombizodwa explains.
“While my friend was shooting content with me in it [the restaurant], I picked up a cellphone and as I was about to ask who it belonged to, I was attacked.”
In the video, the bloodied woman is seen being manhandled by a groot man in a swimming pool.
Ntombizodwa explains that his son and wife came to her rescue, separating him from her.
“That man, Johan van der Merwe, punched me repeatedly before dragging me and jumping inside the pool with me,” she says.
“I thought I was going to die that day, no one came to my rescue besides his wife and son, who eventually noticed that I was struggling to keep afloat as he kept on trying to drown me.”
Savoye owner Etienne Buys says he was called and when he got to the restaurant, he saw “three African ladies and one of them was wet”.
“I was told that the one lady tried to steal either a wallet or a phone belonging to the gentleman’s wife while they were busy with their pre-lunch prayer.
“Allegedly the gentleman tackled the lady, jumping into the swimming pool,” he says.
Asked why the restaurant apparently refused to assist SAPS with footage, Buys said they did not have CCTV cameras, only small cameras that run on a circle that deletes old footage when the newer one is being recorded.
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said that according to Ntombizodwa’s complaint, her alleged attacker and a group of mense were busy praying when she noticed a cell phone on the ground.
“She then picked it up and waited for the people to finish praying,” he says.
“When she asked to whom the cell phone belonged she was attacked by the accused and pushed into the swimming pool. The accused also jumped in and started to strangle her and tried to drown her.
“The accused’s wife then joined to separate her husband from the complainant. The suspect was arrested [on a charge of attempted murder].”
Van Wyk added that the man has opened a common assault and malicious damage to property case.
“The complainant’s family asked his mother-in-law to pray for the food. They then saw an unknown female taking something out of his wife’s bag.
“Accused [Ntombizodwa] then pushed him into the swimming pool and slapped him. [She] then damaged his wife’s cell phone. The suspect [Ntombizodwa] was arrested,” he said.