| Shannon Ferreira [boodskap #88374] |
Wo, 17 Desember 2003 18:44 |
![Frikkie Potgieter[2] is tans af-lyn](/theme/default/images/offline.png "Frikkie Potgieter[2] is tans af-lyn")
Frikkie Potgieter[2]
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Shannon Ferreira, her 16-year-old daughter and her daughter's
boyfriend, Byron Shaw, all stand accused of assaulting Grade 10 pupil
Nosipho Mkhize outside Edgemead High School early last month.
Nosipho alleged that she was pulled by her hair, kicked and defecated
on after she had confronted Shannon Ferreira for verbally abusing
another pupil.
While admitting that a confrontation had taken place between herself
and Mkhize, Shannon Ferreira said several allegations made in the
media had been "exaggerated" at best - and, at worst, blatantly
fabricated.
'Nosipho alleged that she was pulled by her hair'
Since the incident, both Ferreira's daughter and Shaw had been fired
from their jobs and found themselves the target of ongoing public
ridicule - at one stage being forced to leave a restaurant because of
patrons' insults.
Ferreira's daughter told the Cape Argus she had become a "prisoner"
in her parents' Parklands home and was "scared" by the nasty looks
and comments she encountered in public. She has been accepted at
another school and will not be returning to Edgemead High.
The Ferreira's 11-year-old son has also allegedly been the target of
school bullies. The little boy - who witnessed the incident - was
devastated by media accounts of his sister and mother's alleged
racism.
"My mom is a good mom," he said. "She never raised us to speak like
that to anybody. I just want people to know that my sister has too
much respect for herself to treat anyone like that. We're a good
family. We are not racists."
Shannon Ferreira, a successful businesswoman who has raised nearly
R200 000 for a Johannesburg baby sanctuary, said the incident had
occurred after her daughter had water thrown on her by a group of
pupils.
'Allegations made in the media had been exaggerated'
The pupils allegedly acted as though they were sneezing on Ferreira's
daughter, the victim of bullying campaign - recorded by the school -
for the last two years.
Ferreira said she had been "horrified" by the level of cruelty
directed towards her daughter - who suffered from depression as a
result of both the taunting she received at school and the obscene
text messages she allegedly received on her cellphone - and had
confronted the pupils.
"Since we moved from Johannesburg two years ago, I have seen my
daughter change from a vivacious and popular extrovert into a
withdrawn, depressed shadow of herself. It's almost like she wants to
become invisible.
"When I saw how she was being victimised, it really broke my heart."
Shortly after she had finished speaking to the learners, Ferreira
alleges she was confronted by Nosipho - and the contentious incident
ensued.
Though unable to discuss exactly what occurred during the alleged
assault, Ferreira is adamant that it was not a racially-motivated
incident.
The Ferreiras' attorney, Howard Rubenstein, told the Cape Argus that
the family had been advised to air their version of events "in the
appropriate manner and in the appropriate forum".
"Despite my client's obvious natural desire to defend the family
against these allegations by providing the media with their version
as to the incident, they were advised from the outset that it would
be improper to do so. My client's silence in this regard should not
be construed as an admission of any allegations raised by the
complainant," Rubenstein said.
Shannon Ferreira said she was disheartened by the way the incident
had been depicted in the media.
"I am very, very sad that something that started out as a five-minute
schoolyard fight has been depicted as a racial confrontation. I doubt
it would have received the level of coverage if two girls from the
same racial group had been fighting.
"I realise we live in a country whose history makes it difficult for
people to think outside those categories - but that thinking becomes
dangerous when it stops people being able to objectively look at the
truth without resorting to racial stereotypes.
"My family has never and will never be racist," she said.
Over three weeks ago, the Cape Argus and community newspaper Table
Talk both reported the account of a 32-year-old Bothasig man who
allegedly witnessed the incident while picking his Grade 8 nephew up
from school. The eyewitness's account substantially contradicted the
media version of the incident.
Ferreira had not used the word "kaffir" during the confrontation or
stabbed Nosipho with her keys, the man said.
He denied that Ferreira's daughter had defecated on Nosipho - saying
he had seen faeces on the ground but had assumed that one of the
girls had soiled their underwear - and said Nosipho had not been
pulled on to the tennis court by her hair.
Shaw did not touch Mkhize, the man said. The only thing he did was to
threaten to get involved when certain pupils allegedly said they
would help Nosipho by stabbing someone.
The man - who said he had no reason to fabricate the story - said the
fight had escalated after Nosipho allegedly hit Ferreira from behind,
following an argument between the two.
According to the eyewitness, Ferreira's daughter then yelled "don't
hit my mother like that" and started fighting with Mkhize.
Following their arrest, Ferreira and Shaw were both given R1 000 bail
at the Goodwood magistrate's court, while her daughter was released
into the custody of her father, Glen. They face charges of assault
and crimen injuria and have themselves laid charges of assault and
crimen injuria against Mkhize.
The case was last week postponed until January 23.
The three, and Edgemead High, have also been taken to the Blue Downs
equity court by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), on
behalf of Mkhize.
SAHRC spokesperson Phumla Mthala had been dissatisfied with the level
of contradiction in the alleged facts of the case and had decided to
take the matter to court.
Glen Ferreira last week told the Cape Argus that he had been
impressed by Edgemead principal Malcolm Venter's refusal to take
sides following the incident - but dismayed by the Western Cape
education department's decision to suspend his daughter "without
hearing any of the evidence" related to the case.
Although the department did lift the suspension shortly after it was
imposed, Ferreira said he believed it had succeeded in convincing
people that his daughter was "guilty of something".
"At the moment all we want is to see is the truth coming out and our
name cleared.
"Our family has been through too many sleepless nights - we have been
walking around like zombies."
Edgemead High has indicated that it is considering legal action
following alleged defamatory accusations of racism aimed at the
school.
Rubenstein this weekend also indicated that the family was
considering launching a defamation case against certain undisclosed
parties.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?
click_id=105&art_id=vn20031215095824311C335619&set_i d=1
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