A father and his two daughters from Eersterust finally made their first court appearance nearly two years after they brutally attacked and stabbed a pregnant woman.
Friday, February 10, 2023, Windel Ameer, Shahiedah Courtiers, and Shariefah Ameer came before the Hatfield Magistrate’s Court. They have been charged with assault with intent to inflict great bodily injury. In October 2020, they reportedly attacked Linodene Jacobus.
The father and his daughters are accused of assaulting and stabbing the woman, leaving her with wounds and bruises. She would eventually lose her unborn child.
Despite video evidence and many eyewitness statements, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) refused to prosecute. A Senior Prosecutor of the NPA concluded that there was no chance of a successful prosecution since “it was a mutual fight.”
The Private Prosecution Unit of AfriForum wrote to the NPA to express surprise at the illogical decision.
“Should we accept that women injured in fights will receive no protection from the law? If ‘fights’ are allowed, we make allowance for revenge fights. This may result in lawless chaos,” says Advocate Gerrie Nel, head of the unit.
In May of last year, in response to pressure from the unit, the NPA reconsidered its decision not to prosecute.
The spokesperson for the unit, Barry Bateman, deems it unacceptable that it took so long to bring the case to court.
“It appears the authorities would try to find any excuse not to prosecute. There is sufficient evidence to support the charges against the accused. We are satisfied that the matter is finally before the courts.”
“We do, however, express the same concern as the complainant’s family: that the accused, through possible influence in their community, can undermine police investigations, which allows them to act with impunity. This is something the unit will not stand for,” says Bateman.
The three will return to court on Thursday, February 23.
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