Fierce duel
A self-proclaimed “Pakistani mafia boss” was expected to appear in court yesterday (Wednesday) on charges of common assault and intimidation around the same time as a prominent businessman who was set to make a court appearance on counter charges of pointing of a firearm and
common assault following an incident at a wholesaler in Superbia last Wednesday.
It was learnt that the counter charges followed days after the incident that reportedly led to the trader’s son being injured when apparently hit with a broken bottle against the head during a skirmish with a group of men, identified as an entourage of foreign origin, outside the business that afternoon.
In various interviews on the scene and afterwards sources informed Polokwane Observer that the businessman and his team reacted to a distress call for backup and in the process allegedly got threatened with his life, which led to him instituting charges of common assault and intimidation against the leader of a Pakistani-South African grouping accompanied to the business by a large group of men that same afternoon. It was learnt that the businessman was arrested on Tuesday when reporting to Westenburg Police station following counter charges by the suspect against whom he initially registered the case last Wednesday.
As far as could be established the suspect in the common assault and intimidation matter is facing his third criminal case since November last year, after an incident during which the life of the businessman and a relative were allegedly threatened during an incident in Nirvana.
The same suspect is supposed to appear in court again at the end of this month in a case of alleged contravention of South Africa’s immigration laws. His son is still wanted by Police on the same charge, it was learnt.
When providing feedback on the latest developments on Monday, Provincial Police spokesperson Moatshe Ngoepe said the suspect had been charged and was warned to appear in court today (Thursday), but at the time of going to print clarified that the arrangement had been changed for him to go to court yesterday for both cases to be postponed to a coinciding date.
While Ngoepe said the other accused was arrested, charged, had appeared before court and was released on Tuesday on R500 bail, it was established that he was warned to make his first court appearance yesterday. For publication purposes both identities had to be withheld until confirmation of the respective court appearances.
The incident that led to the institution of the counter cases reportedly occurred outside a business in Nikkel Street when the son of the store owner was allegedly attacked by a group of around ten men over a consignment of water being delivered at the time. According to several eye witnesses a group of foreign nationals arrived at the business to threaten the owner’s son for not purchasing water from a business in nearby Granite Street instead. After having been injured he apparently summoned backup to which the businessman reacted.
Numerous clips capturing the events depicting the assault on the business owner’s son and the security company boss were forwarded to Polokwane Observer. One of the sources interviewed stressed that after the initial attack members of the group seemingly returned a second time, accompanied by the so-called “Pakistani mafia boss”.
In an interview on the scene the businessman afterwards explained that he had responded to the distress call in his capacity as owner of a security company offering a response service to the business. He arrived on the scene with extra backup while two of his security officers were already present.
Upon his arrival at the business he had noticed the injured man on a chair at the entrance, he said. The victim was transported to a medical facility thereafter in response to his earlier call for an ambulance to be dispatched to the scene, according to information.
By further relating the occurrences of that afternoon, he said the suspect against whom he later registered charges of common assault and intimidation had shown up with an entourage in four vehicles shortly after. As he noticed the group approaching he had stepped away, but after an altercation between the suspect and the injured man the suspect turned to him, pushed him against the chest with force and threatened to kill him. “He said ‘I’m going to have you f...ing killed for R500’ and that he was going to kill me.”
According to him he had encouraged the man to continue behaving in that fashion as the Police had been summoned and were on the way, whereupon his attacker would have retorted “F... the Police. They won’t do anything to me. I’m the Pakistani mafia boss. They’ll do me nothing.” When an estimated ten members attached to the Westenburg Police station indeed arrived the man’s behaviour had instantly changed, he recalled.
He said that while on the scene the Police had been informed of the alleged presence of a firearm in one of the vehicles transporting the entourage and that the validity of the other suspect’s documentation had been raised, but after speaking to the parties involved and despite him indicating that he intended laying charges after having been threatened with his life yet again, they left the scene without a further word.
The businessman indicated that he then proceeded to register a case of common assault and intimidation at Polokwane Police station, a decision taken following the conduct displayed by the Westenburg Police officials.
The businessman questioned the system when referring to the intimidation case registered in November last year having been provisionally withdrawn while all parties involved had not been approached for investigative purposes, that solid evidence was presented to the Police in a related matter and that an entry was made in the occurrence book at Westenburg Police station following another threat against his life in the beginning of the year. “I don’t know if the State and the Police are waiting for someone to be killed to take this matter seriously.”