Orlando Pirates player Ben Motshwari is in hot water for allegedly
assaulting his girlfriend at a tavern.
Today, the star handed himself over to the cops, briefly appeared in court
and the case was taken off the roll pending further investigation.
However, his fans will not see him on the pitch for a while.
This is because the star midfielder was suspended by his club as he is
facing a serious charge.
According to a source who spoke to Daily Sun, Motshwari’s girlfriend
visited him at his home on Sunday, 19 September, but he decided to leave her
with friends.
“He left for a long time and his girlfriend decided to look for him,” said
the source, who asked not to be named.
The source said the girlfriend found Motshwari sitting with a girl in
another house.
“She got angry and took Ben’s car. He followed her, wanting his car back,
but she refused,” said the source.
“She then went to a tavern in Mohlakeng in the West Rand with her friends.
They were chilling and having fun when Ben arrived and started hitting her,”
the source claimed, adding Ben kept hitting his girlfriend until he was stopped
by two other people.
“She sustained injuries. I hope she heals soon,” the source said.
The tavern owner told Daily Sun he wasn’t sure what happened.
He said Motshwari was a regular at his tavern.
“He’s a cool guy. He normally comes, greets and chills. I really don’t
know what happened that day
“I did not see the fight. I only heard about it,” said the owner.
The girlfriend opened a case at Randfontein Police Station.
Police spokesman Captain Mavela Masondo said the suspect handed himself to
the police and appeared in court.
“The matter was taken off the roll pending investigations,” said Masondo.
When Daily Sun called Motshwari, he said he would ask his team whether he
could take interviews or not.
“I’ve been with this woman for a long time. I don’t know why she’s
dragging my name like this. What she is saying it’s a lie. That’s not what
happened,” he claimed.
He said he would one day tell his side of the story.
“One thing I can tell you is that I’m not a violent person. I’ve never
fought with anyone in my life, whether a guy or a girl. Why would I start today
and ruin my career?
Ben said this was breaking his heart as people were writing all sort of
things without hearing his side of the story.
“This is the sad thing about us black people. We always want to destroy
another black person,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pirates has suspended the star.
In a statement, Pirates confirmed that the player has been charged by the
police.
“Orlando Pirates Football Club can confirm that it has suspended
midfielder Ben Motshwari after being charged by the police. Mr Motshwari will
remain suspended pending an investigation. The matter is subject to a legal
process, and the club is, therefore, unable to make further comments until that
process is complete,” said the club.
Unfortunately, Daily Sun was unable to reach Motshwari’s girlfriend for
comment.