”Angel of Soweto” Jackie Maarohanye appeared briefly in a Soweto court on Thursday, later facing both supporters and protesters, as well as police who want to re-charge her in a kidnapping case from a year ago.
Ithuteng Trust school principal Maarohanye and three others appeared in the Protea Magistrate’s Court on charges of kidnapping a Sowetan reporter and driver. The case was postponed to May 15 for further investigation.
Maarohanye was released on bail of R10 000.
After the morning’s appearance, it emerged that Maarohanye and one of her co-accused, Ronnie Nyakane, are also facing charges in a separate case of kidnapping a 24-year-old man in Orlando last year.
Immediately after Thursday’s court hearing, police re-arrested Nyakane inside the courtroom in connection with the Orlando case. He is due back in the Protea court on Friday for that matter.
Constable Sefako Xaba said the Orlando case had been struck off the roll last year because the docket was taken to the wrong court, but was now being reinstated.
He said a summons was due to be handed to Maarohanye for this.
Maarohanye had been released on R2 000 bail in connection with that matter.
On Thursday outside the court in Soweto, scores of anti-Mama Jackie protesters, and supporters, greeted Maarohanye.
Maarohanye drove away in a blue BMW and made a ”hola seven” sign — equivalent to a thumbs up — with her fingers.
Her fans wore T-shirts with the words ”Mama Jackie, we love you nine nine” — township slang showing open support.
The protesters, mainly South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) members, demanded that the principal close down her Klipspruit school as she was ”accommodating thugs there”.
The protesters refused to give their names as they feared they would be intimidated by Maarohanye and her ”thugs”.
”When you come near the school those children beat you up,” an elderly protester said.
She added that the school was full of children possessed with the spirit of Satan.
She said Maarohanye should open the school in Naturena where she lives.
Protesters held banners with slogans such as ”Away with Mama Jackey” and ”Mama Jackey is a killer and a sell-out”.
Another protester, who lives near the school, accused Maarohanye of misleading the children at her school.
A Sanco member from Klipspruit said community members had been threatened by Ithuteng Trust school children.
He said the ”Angel of Soweto” scandal had made sponsors sceptical about supporting any NGO in the township. Maarohanye was earlier accused of defrauding donors of millions of rands.
”We support the police in arresting Mama Jackie,” he added.
Maarohanye, with co-accused Nyakane, Thembi Dladla and Patricia Molaba, are charged with kidnapping and assault after Sowetan reporter Vusi Ndlovu and driver Mabu Nkadimeng were held hostage for over six hours.
The two went to the school to conduct an interview with the principal.
Maarohanye was later arrested after she was spotted in Pretoria by one of President Thabo Mbeki’s guards.
Last year, M-Net’s Carte Blanche programme aired an investigative documentary accusing Maarohanye of using the plight of vulnerable students to solicit money from donors by fabricating their personal history.
The exposé followed her arrest last year on charges of public violence and malicious damage to property when her pupils, allegedly under her instruction, burned tyres and blocked roads over the police’s failure to solve the death of a pupil.
The student died in a fire at the school and Maarohanye allegedly insisted that a hut on the premises had been petrol bombed. — Sapa