NATIONAL NEWS - If convicted racist Vicki Momberg had shown true remorse, it is possible she may have escaped her two-year effective jail sentence on four counts of crimen injuria.

She was also ordered by the Equality Court to pay R100 000 to Constable David Makhondo, the police officer at whom Momberg had directed her tirade.

Speaking to The Citizen in general terms yesterday outside the Randburg Magistrates’ Court, advocate Manni Witz said remorse was probably the most important part of any case when it came to sentencing.

“A recent Supreme Court of Appeal case, the State v Matyityi, talks about penitence versus remorse. When you’re penitent for something, you’re truly remorseful, and they say when you’re truly remorseful you really have to take the court into your confidence and put yourself into their hands, and then the court can take this into account,” Witz noted.

Simply pleading guilty and apologising was no longer enough, Witz said.

Coincidentally, Magistrate Pravina Raghoonandan referred to the same judgment when sentencing Momberg.

Read more on the Caxton publication, The Citizen.