ATTENDANTS at a Pretoria filling station were astounded when gospel singer Sinki Mathe allegedly pulled his wife out of their car and assaulted her in full view ofcustomers.

Mathe has denied being an abusive husband, but petrol attendants at the garage at Wonder Park Shopping Centre said he looked like he knew what he was doing last Thursday night.

The couple drove up in their BMW and stopped at the garage. An argument broke out.

"There was a disagreement between myself, my wife Ursula and a family friend, but we have since resolved it," Mathe said yesterday. "I'm not an abusive man. I have never done such a thing before."

Surveillance cameras at the garage captured Mathe punching his wife. "Mathe accused his wife of cheating on him and started beating her up. The male friend intervened," said an attendant. "Mathe then started fighting with his friend to the point where the friend wanted to break his windscreen."

Mathe stormed away, fuming, while Ursula took shelter in the shop.

"While Ursula and the friend were still discussing whether to report the matter to the police, Mathe called his wife and threatened to kill their child if she did not come home," the witness said.

The drama allegedly ended when Ursula left with the friend to report the matter to the police, who have not yet visited the garage to take statements from witnesses. Police said they did not have a record of the incident.

Ursula would not comment yesterday. "I can't talk to you about that, ask my husband, he knows what happened."