Former deputy minister of higher education and convicted woman beater, Mduduzi Manana can breathe a sigh of relief as his alleged victim has withdrawn assault charges.

Manana's former domestic worker, Christine Wiro, 43, who quit on Sunday following an altercation with Manana, withdrew the assault, intimidation and crimen injuria charges just hours after reporting the matter at Douglasdale police station.

Gauteng Police spokeswoman Mathapelo Peters said: “The victim withdrew the charges on the same evening at Douglasdale Police Station. There's currently no futher investigation on the matter.”

Wiro had alleged that Manana, her boss for just three weeks, had verbally abused her and tried pushing her down a flight of stairs at his double-storey Fourways home on Sunday after she had opened the gate for a wrong person.

This is a developing story.