A 23-year-old Mapleton woman, Mbalienhle Nxumalo, was given an 18-month correctional supervision for assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
On May 13, the accused unlawfully and intentionally assaulted Siphiwe Mhlungu by pouring boiling water on her, causing severe burns to her body.
The attack came after a heated argument over what emanated from cleaning a stoep outside the house where the two live.
The accused stated after the verbal argument, she went to her room where she was boiling water for cleaning the stoep, but the victim followed her into the room, where she apparently continued with the argument and threatened to beat and pour the boiling water on her.
The accused further claimed they then engaged in a tussle over the kettle full of boiled water, until she, the accused, managed to get hold of it and poured the boiled water on the victim’s body.
The victim confirmed she went to the accused room to confront the accused after she and a friend apparently mocked her about how she cleaned the stoep.
She, however, gave a statement that contradicts the accused’s accounts of the crime, the pouring of the boiled water, saying she entered the accused’s room but after a brief argument the accused asked her to get out of her room. As she took a step to turn, the accused took the kettle and poured the water on her.
The victim felt dizzy and fell to the ground. The accused ran away.
The accused pleaded guilty to the crime and stated she was not acting in self-defence when she poured the water on the victim, saying there was no justification of her conduct and she could have stopped it.
A victim impact statement was presented.
The accused has no previous conviction. A pre-sentence and correctional supervisor’s reports were submitted.
The conditions of her correctional supervision are: 16 hours of community service per month; placed under house detention; seeks employment, participates in treatment, development and support programmes – specifically anger management; participate in mediation between victim and offender, restricted to the magisterial district of Boksburg; remains a resident at the same fixed address for the duration of the sentence; she may not use any alcohol or drugs other than those prescribed by a physician; she may not commit any criminal offence and that she is subjected to monitoring as a high-risk offender by correctional services.
She was also declared unfit to carry a firearm.
Magistrate Jurg Viviers presided over the matter and Ntombi Mbonani appeared on behalf of the State. -@MthuphaFanie
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