July unrest charges left my life upside down, says businesswoman

THE Gauteng businesswoman who was accused of instigating the July 2021 unrest says the charges will remain a permanent stain on her life because they took a toll on her family, emotionally and financially.

Speaking exclusively to Cape Times sister paper the Pretoria News yesterday, shortly after her case was struck off the roll at the Germiston Magistrate’s Court, the social commentator known as Sphithiphithi Evaluator said she had to spend thousands of rand on security upgrades to her home.

This was after the police unmasked her as the person behind the social media account which was openly critical of President Cyril Ramaphosa late last year. Sphithiphithi Evaluator, whose real name is known to the Pretoria News, but has been withheld at her request for safety reasons, said her life had never been the same since plain-clothed police officers arrested her without a warrant in July last year.

The Pretoria News reported in November last year that police officers had stormed into her home in Ekurhuleni and picked her up at night on claims that she was one of the instigators of the unrest that broke out in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng in July last year.

The protests had been sparked by the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma on contempt of court charges.

In reaction to the outcome of her court case, Sphithiphithi Evaluator said the charges left her life upside down.

“The past six months has been very traumatic. Even when I have been acquitted it doesn’t make a difference. In all this, I had to think about courts, my family and financial losses.”

She questioned how the Hawks singled her out for attention as a social commentator, which resulted in her family bearing the brunt.

“Why did they come at my house to arrest me and put me in a dark room and not even give me water?

“Can you imagine. They took my children’s gadgets that I had to spend money to replace. I’m relieved that there is no longer a case, but the charges will remain a stain in my life; I have not been able to do business since this whole matter started. I could not work. I was not able to reach my clients. Clients could not even believe me. I was not able to fulfil my work.

“I’m paranoid to even visit a mall. The NPA has revealed my name to the public and that has affected my future,” the mother of two said.

Sphithiphithi Evaluator was adamant that she had no case to answer and that the charges were politically motivated.

“I’m relieved that the case was thrown out, but I never doubted that I was innocent. There were more than 18 million posts that were there, but they chose mine.”

Her lawyer, Onalenna Thaga, said the case was struck off the roll because the state had no case against Sphithiphithi Evaluator.

She said: “The state was waiting for the Director of Public Prosecutions and wanted to extend the matter for another three weeks.

“We argued that the matter had gone on for far too long as it got struck off the roll.”

Sphithiphithi Evaluator was accused of instigating violence after unrest which cost the country billions in infrastructure damage and 300 lives.

Before her arrest, Police Minister Bheki Cele had said that “12 instigators known to the police” and “other big names” would be arrested.

To date, no big names have been arrested as promised and none of the suspects has been convicted.