The mother of a North West woman who was assaulted by her boyfriend has explained why she did not intervene while her daughter was being beaten to a pulp.
A video of 31-year-old Swartruggens resident Fiona Hiscock being on the receiving end of a brutal attack on Tuesday went viral.
The victim’s mother, Vannessa Hiscock, said when she arrived at the scene with the police, she found her daughter in a disheartening state.
“She looked bad, blood all over and he was dragging her to the field holding a knife. I wanted to attack him. But the police said I must leave him as they were about to arrest him,” she told Sunday World.
Toxic relationship
Hiscock said her daughter’s relationship with the alleged man was always toxic.
“They had been in a relationship for approximately a year before she told him she no longer wanted to be with him. He did not want to accept that. And he kept asking my daughter what she meant when she said it was over between them,” the mother said.
The family said all they wanted was to see justice prevail. The 38-year-old man accused of the attack has been arrested. He appeared at the Swartruggens magistrate’s court on Tuesday. The case has been postponed to August 23 for bail application.
Meanwhile, former Rustenburg mayor and member of parliament, Matthew Wolmarans, has clarified his connection to the victim. He said the woman in the video circulating on social media was not his daughter.
Wolmarans was reacting to a video of Fiona being brutally attacked by her alleged boyfriend.
He said since the video surfaced, his close friends and others who know him have been calling him nonstop with messages of consolation.
“I have a few WhatsApp groups on my phone, and people are asking me whether Fiona is my daughter. Some of the calls came from as far as Cape Town. I’ve been in explanation mode since the morning. But it doesn’t matter, I consider her my daughter,” he said.
Ex-mayor has close relationship with victim and her family
Wolmarans said the victim began calling him “dad” at a young age.
“She is not my daughter. However, she calls me dad because I grew up with her parents. About two houses apart in Tlhabane, before they moved to Swartruggens,” he said.
Wolmarans said the man accused of the assault works at a petrol filling station that he drives past almost every second day.
“I feel bad about it. This afternoon, I will be around where she stays. I hope to meet her relatives. Another lady was telling me that the family of the man who assaulted Fiona were also hurt by this. They even went to the hospital to check up on her,” he said.
He condemned the incident.
“It’s a no in our society, it sits me very badly. I don’t subscribe to that. It is uncalled for, brutal and barbaric. Let’s hope the law will take its course,” he said.
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