Nurse in court after assault caught on camera
A NURSE caught beating a pensioner at an upmarket East London home for the frail is due to make her second appearance in court today.
Assaults on Lily Kirchmann Complex resident Hope Shepherd, 84, on February 3 and again on February 23 were captured on a secret camera in a television set at the home.
A 15-minute-long spy camera footage allegedly show nursing staffer Ncediswa Mkenkcele punching Shepherd with her fists in the face.
Mkenkcele is said to also have bashed Shepherd against the head with a deodorant can.
She allegedly ends the assault by spraying deodorant into a breathing hole in Shepherd’s throat. The elderly woman has throat cancer.
Footage also allegedly shows Shepherd tied up for three hours in her wheelchair which in turn is tied to a bed.
Shepherd’s daughter, Bernice Robertson, said as a result of the cancer, her mother was unable to speak or write of the apparent horrors unleashed on her during her stay at Kirchmann’s.
She believed the alleged assaults could have carried on until her mother died, had she not planted the camera that exposed the beatings.
After viewing the footage, Robertson laid a complaint at the Cambridge police station.
Mkenkcele was arrested on March 23.
Police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi said the Duncan Village resident was charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
“She appeared in the East London Magistrate’s Court on March 24 and her case was postponed to May 5 for further investigation,” Mbi said.
Mkenkcele was not asked to plead and was released on warning.
Berea Gardens Retirement Foundation executive director Mike Schulze said there had been a meeting with the Shepherd family.
“We apologised unreservedly for the alleged assaults against her,” he said.
“The employee involved resigned immediately on being confronted.”
Schulze said it was the first case of this nature in the Lily Kirchmann complex in the 9½ years that he had been executive director and, “to the best of my knowledge, is the first case of this nature in the history of the foundation”.
Robertson planted the camera on December 31 when her mother sustained an unexplained broken arm.
Days before she had noticed bruises and swollen marks on her mother’s body.
“There were not enough good reasons as to what happened to her from the staff, other than that she had fallen off the bed or bumped herself,” Robertson said.
In February, she noticed her mother had a blue eye.
She then viewed the footage on her camera and saw the assaults. She immediately notified complex management.
“It really has been a traumatic experience for me and my family. I saw my mother being beaten and pushed around,” Robertson said.
She had moved her mother from the home to a facility in Selborne, but her mother was confused and suffering from flashbacks, she said.
Clients pay as much as R14 000 a month for their loved ones to be cared for at Lily Kirchmann.
Schulze said in addition to the criminal charges, the foundation had met with all nursing staff at Lily Kirchmann to again stress the foundation’s zerotolerance policy on abuse.
Letters had also been sent to the residents’ families.
-Zwanga Mukhuthu
She should not have been allowed to resign. This so called nurse needs to go to jail. Hope the inmates hear this story and give her the beating she deserves.
That nurse should be hanged. Good for nothing lazy lout so called Nurse. What an animal.
No matter what and how difficult we should keep our parents with us at home. I am sorry that your mum had to endure this horrible torture.
As for the nurse I hope that she one day feels the wrath she can given out so freely.
God bless you
Aileen
That is ridiculous. All nursing staff conspired to commit at crime to this person because they were saying “she had fallen off the bed or bumped herself”.
Schulze, before you resign, make sure to request a full inspection of every person in the complex by qualified experts on torture and provide the info to police for further actions. Usually those are not isolated cases but a trend.
So sad for a defenseless person been tortured.
Rafa 🙁
Hi All,
As a family we have been deeply hurt by these events. The things which our loved mother/gran/great grandmother had to endure has been truly traumatic. We thought placing her in Lily Kirchmann was increasing her quality of life. They offered professional care, great facilities and people which my gran could connect with and keep entertained through out the day. At no point did we ever think placing her in such an environment would open her up to the abuse which it did. We placed our faith in an institution, thinking it would better our loved mother/gran/grandmothers life and that faith has been torn apart and replaced by the feeling of utter failure. It hurts to know we delivered her unknowingly to the wolves. And the question remains, how can this occur in an institution which is supposed to pride itself on caring for people?
After much consideration the family has decided to tell the story, in hope that it will raise awareness of this abuse taking place. In this regard, as a family we have decided to show the footage. Thus, please watch Carte Blanche this Sunday.
On a personal note, I would like to thank you all for the support which the public has shown, it is humbling to see people, my gran has never met, can care so deeply. So thank you. And even though my blood boils at the thought of what this cruel person did to my gran or the thought of her smiling gallantly at the family in the court room while being allowed to still walk free. I plead that everyone refrains from making this a race issue. Not over my grans cause, she would not want it. This was purely a terrible person who was given the chance to attack a defenceless old lady and took it!
I hopes she rots in jail.
It makes me wonder why my mother died so early while been “cared” for in a nursing home in Kimberley..!
Shocking..!
The old people knew the way to treat crap like this with a eye for a eye retribution. She wasn’t asked to plea? Was allowed to leave? The bitch should have been strung up for this act of barbaric indecency.
Really?! Released with a warning!?!?!? Gee thanks. Let me be your nurse when you are frail dear Ncediswa Mkenkcele and we will see how you like it you piece of rubbish. How this is even happening in a facility that is supposed to be there to care for the elderly astounds me. Maybe, just maybe you should conduct a thorough interview and background check before hiring idiots like this to care for those who cant care for themselves. Absolutely disgusting. Im so sorry beautiful Lily that you had to endure such pain and torment and that you were left merciless.
This is why it is so important for children, family and friends to be involved in their people who lives in Old Age Homes. Usually it is only the people visiting who can pick up these assaults.
I am probably speaking from a position of ignorance but it amazes me that in a place like that the lady’s injuries were only questioned by her daughter who then had to investigate further herself.
Horrendous!!! How can you treat an 84 old lady with cancer like that????? There is abuse taking place in Port Elizabeth as well.At a retirement complex in Summerstand, P.E. nurses steal money,food,clothing etc from pensioners who are being nursed in the nursing home.Old people are also bullied by nurses!The Management know what is going on but turn a blind eye!
Pity that Mike Schulze uses the word “alleged” when the assaults were captured on camera.
The nurse should not have been allowed to resign, she should have been charged with assault. Despicable person, she gives us nurses / carers a bad name