Doris Mthembi is a free woman again.
The 41-year-old Mthembi turned to the High Court to ask for permission to appeal her sentence. She was handed a six-year prison stay in November of last year, when she was found guilty of perjury. Mthembi lied to the police when she accused her ex-husband, Mr Goddard Tendani Mugwena, of kidnapping and raping her.
She has served just more than a year of her sentence.
Mthembi's argument for her appeal will be that the Louis Trichardt Regional Court had been too harsh and unfair when it handed down a custodial sentence to her. She further feels that the court did not take into consideration that she has little children that she has to take care of.
On Monday, during a brief court appearance, Mthembi was released on R3 000 bail. If she fails to prove that she has lodged her appeal application with the High Court by 28 January, her bail will be revoked.