Kings Beach kite fight lands radio presenter and woman in court
THREATS and insults that led to a slap in the face and destroyed a power kite, landed two Port Elizabeth residents in court following an altercation at Kings Beach in April.
Saleswoman Bondi-Borné Hulley faces charges of assault and crimen injuria for allegedly slapping radio presenter Mbulelo Maqhubu after he reportedly destroyed her R4 000 power kite – for which he faces a charge of malicious damage to property.
Both made a brief appearance in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court yesterday and will return to court later this month.
Hulley, 40, said after her court appearance that she had moved to Port Elizabeth from Gauteng in February because she loved the ocean and wanted to live near a Blue Flag beach.
On Saturday, April 8, shortly before lunchtime, she was flying her 3m-wide power kite on Kings Beach, on a stretch of the beach away from the main swimming area.
Hulley claims Maqhubu and his family came onto the beach and sat down where she was flying her kite. “I approached them and told them it could be unsafe to sit where I was flying my kite and asked them to move. “That’s when the man jumped up. “He told me this was no longer the old South Africa and I had no right to tell him where to sit.
“He [allegedly] took out a knife and said he would cut me and my kite.
“I was quite upset by his threatening tone. I told him, ‘You can’t threaten me like that, you are acting like an animal’.”
Hulley brought the incident to the attention of lifeguards and then returned to resume flying her kite.
“As luck would have it, a few minutes later my kite accidentally fell and hit the sand right where they [Maqhubu and his family] were sitting.
“No one was injured, but the man [allegedly] took his knife and cut the kite to shreds. Then he jumped up and started walking towards me.”
Hulley said she felt threatened and decided to act first, slapping him. The lifeguards then came and the police were called.
Police officers took statements from them, leading to Hulley and Maqhubu laying complaints against each other.
Maqhubu, a current affairs presenter on SABC radio station Umhlobo Wenene, confirmed he and Hulley laid complaints against each other, but declined to comment.
They will return to court on August 29.