Male nurse admits he tormented frail woman

FORMER Lily Kirchmann’s staff member Tshibangu Kolonji told the East London Regional Court yesterday he assaulted Hope Shepherd, 84, because other nursing staff in the upmarket retirement home were doing it too.

The 21-year-old is on trial on charges of contravening the Older Persons Act of 2006 and assault with intent to commit grievous bodily harm.

He was caught on a hidden camera set up in a TV set placed in Shepherd’s room by her daughter, Bernice Robertson.

The alleged assault took place on January 30, 2015. Shepherd died in December 2015, months after she had been moved to another frailcare centre.

Kolonji stood expressionless on the witness stand yesterday and told magistrate Sadia Jacobs he did not see anything wrong with tormenting Shepherd.

He said his colleagues were also doing it to manage patients in the old age home.

Kolonji was being cross examined by state prosecutor Luntu Magaxa, who said: “We all watched a video in which you slapped Mrs Shepherd on the head. Do you recall?” Kolonji replied: “If you call tapping slapping – yes.” “Are you allowed to tap?” Magaxa asked, to which Kolonji replied: “I can’t say no, because there was nothing to tell me I am not supposed to do that.”

Kolonji’s attorney and public defender, Mtimkhulu Mpahlwa, asked his client: “The J88 form on the last line says that your intention was to cause injury or harm to Mrs Shepherd, was that your intention?”

Kolonji replied: “Mrs Shepherd was an old woman, I could have harmed her if I wanted to. My intention was to make sure she was clean.”

Mpahlwa asked Kolonji what he was hoping to achieve by twisting the elderly woman’s ears. He said: “I wanted to grab her attention.”

Asked if it was usual for male nurses to look after women patients at the home, Kolonji replied: “Not basically. I was trained in the male section but I did help the women every once in a while.”

“Did you have an option to refuse?” Mpahlwa asked and Kolonji responded: “Yes, but I was new. If you are new at a work place you don’t refuse when you are given an order.”

The case was postponed the case to May 5 for judgment.