The infamous Doris Mthembi will now turn to the High Court for “justice” after her leave-to-appeal application was rejected.

The 41-year-old Mthembi appeared in the Louis Trichardt Regional Court on Monday, asking 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.

Mthembi, by means of her advocate, argued that the court had been too harsh and unfair when it handed down a custodial sentence to her. “The court was not merciful when they gave a direct imprisonment sentence, forgetting to take into consideration that she has little children to take care off,” said the advocate, Mr Ndleve. “She is not a danger to the public, as the court claimed in its verdict, and we are sure that another court would not have given such a harsh sentence, or maybe even a suspended sentence.”

Magistrate Pat Cloete did not agree and rejected the application. He remarked that the cellphone evidence, brought by the State, was just too damming. “Those records disproved her version of the story beyond any reasonable doubt,” said Cloete.

On Monday, the court room was packed with family and friends of Doris who pitched up in her support. All of them were wearing white T-shirts, imprinted with slogans and Doris’s face. On the front of the T-shirts the question “Where’s justice for Doris?” with a somewhat dubious citation from the Bible – Isaiah 53:15 - was displayed. This particular chapter of Isaiah ends at verse 12.

After Mthembi was led back to the prison vehicle that would take her back to Matatshe Prison, her supporters shouted at a journalist not to take photos. One supporter laughed, and told magistrate Cloete that they would meet again. Outside of the court room there was pandemonium when Mthembi’s sister got into a screaming match with Goddard, shouting at him: “You are a rapist!”

At the time of going to press, Mthembi’s legal team had yet to lodge an application with the High Court to have her case reviewed.