Video shows assault on woman, 84
VIDEO footage showing another former Lily Kirchmann old-age home staff member assaulting 84-year-old Hope Shepherd was played in the East London Regional Court yesterday.
The trial of Tshibangu Kolonji, who is charged with assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, is running separately from that of former Lily Kirchmann caregiver Ncediswa Mkenkcele, who will be sentenced next week for attacking Shepherd.
The assault Kolonji is accused of allegedly occurred on the afternoon of January 30 2015, a month after he started work at the Berea Gardens Retirement Foundation.
In the six-minute clip played before Regional Court 4 magistrate Sadia Jacobs, Kolonji is seen slapping Shepherd, who has since died, in the face and on her head with open hands.
Shepherd was in her room restrained to her wheelchair. Kolonji is standing behind her.
He taunts her and, when she reacts, he grabs her by her right ear and twists it.
He then twists her right hand while restraining her left hand.
He slaps her numerous times in the face and hits her on the back of her head. He also sticks his fingers in her right ear.
The video ends with Kolonji using toilet paper to rub against Shepherd’s face before wheeling her out of the room.
The court hears Shepherd later telling Kolonji: “You will regret this, mark my words.”
Kolonji, who was in the dock yesterday, told the court he had been trying to get Shepherd’s attention.
Shepherd’s daughter, Bernice Robertson, said it had been shocking to see what “this young man” had done.
“I trusted him and it was terrible to see what happened,” Robertson said.
“He was a very nice man and we thought we could trust him with our mother.”
Robertson broke down in tears on the stand, saying: “We battle every day with it [the assault of their mother].
“We put her in a place we thought she would be well looked after.
“We thought we were doing the best for her, we did the worst thing for her.
“We have to take pills every night because we have visions of our mother being beaten.”
Berea Gardens executive director Mike Schultz said the nursing home had been established in 1974 to care for the elderly and frail and had about 100 employees – management, nursing staff, maintenance and security guards.
They had hired Kolonji in January 2015 from Amatola Nursing Services.
When the assault was discovered, the foundation suspended him and referred him to the nursing agency to be disciplined.
Schultz said they had then reported the matter to police.
Kolonji’s Legal Aid attorney, Mtimkhulu Mpahlwa, put it to Schultz that Kolonji was trying to grab Shepherd’s attention in the footage aired.
Schultz replied: “The way he went about it was totally unacceptable.”
The case was postponed to April 25. Kolonji’s bail was extended.