Johannesburg – The wife of former Minister of Finance Malusi Gigaba, Norma is expected to approach the High Court to challenge her arrest.
The 40-year-old made a brief appearance in the Hatfield Magistrates Court in Pretoria on Monday morning following her arrest last week by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks.
Her legal team intended to bring a civil matter before the court to challenge the validity and constitutionality of her arrest.
She was charged with crimen injuria and malicious damage to property after she allegedly damaged a Mercedenz Benz G-Wagon belonging to a friend of her husband and for the alleged assault of the said friend.
Norma was represented by legal heavyweights including Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, Dali Mpofu and her lawyer Victor Nkwashu.
The team said Gigaba was traumatised and victimised. Nkwashu argued for the case to be postponed for six weeks to enable his client to challenge the legality of her arrest, specifically the involvement of the Hawks.
“The senior councils that have been brought into the matter to challenge the issue of the involvement of the Hawks, to challenge the issue of obtaining a warrant for her arrest when the Hawks knew where she lived,” Nkwashu said.
“The arrest on its own for such charges should not have happened. She should have summoned to appear in court instead of arresting her on a Friday evening knowing that the courts will be closed and, therefore, she would have spent the weekend in custody and that will be brought before the High Court,” added Nkwashu.
Norma was granted bail of R5,000. The matter was expected to be transferred to the Pretoria Magistrates Court next month.
Leave a Reply