Police have arrested a 38-year-old Irish woman in connection with the so-called pigs’ head incident last week, when pigs’ heads marked with swastikas on their foreheads and Stars of David on each ear were placed on the doorstep of the Great Synagogue and at the Jewish Club in Durban.
The woman, Yvonne Tina Malone, who is believed to have been in the country for two and a half years, was arrested Wednesday after South African detectives worked around the clock to make an arrest.
The incident took place April 20, the eve of Israel’s Independence Day and the 99th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
According to the police in Port Natal, the public played a great part in helping with the arrest. Following the advertisement of a monetary reward, several people contacted the police, who were then able to track down the butcher where the woman allegedly bought the pigs’ heads.
On Wednesday, the woman was detained and then appeared in the local magistrate’s court on two charges of criminal injury. The case was adjourned until June 1, and the accused was released on warning.
The investigation officers in charge of the case said, “At this stage we do not believe there were any more people involved. The woman has not implicated anyone else, however the police are still investigating.”
The incident prompted South African President P.W. Botha to issue a strong warning to neo-Nazis in South Africa, that he was no longer prepared to tolerate their antics.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
