Pastor Ron Moodley of Siloam Ministries in Brakpan hired 15-strong Nigerian Men of War gang to terrorise women and children off their Vaalbank, Middelburg plot
"Fierce-looking Nigerian gang hired to scare women and children" -- 22 July 2013. By Middelburg Observer journalist Gerhard Rheeder.(picture) Mr Ron Moodley, the pastor at Siloam Ministries in Brakpan, has admitted to hiring a gang of 15 Nigerians to intimidate the family of landowner Mrs Selina Naidoo - to scare them off their property they lived on for more than three decades.A heavy contingent of police had to escort the gang off the property on Saturday after they caused thousands of rands of damage to the estate.
According to Ms Natasha Naidoo, the daughter of the landowner, Ms Selina Naidoo, the gang of 15 Nigerian men kicked down their doors, removed their furniture from their homes and intimidated their children to leave the property, which they claim were fraudulently obtained by Mr Ron Moodley.
Hell broke loose at around lunchtime on Vaalbank Plot 289 where Mrs Naidoo and a number of family members have been living in separate houses.
Natasha says that she was busy in a backroom with three girls aged 7, 9 and 12, when the men arrived in four cars.
The 12-year old girl went outside to check on two boys aged 3 and 12, when she saw the men breaking into the main house where the family matriarch lives.
She rushed to the house where the men simply told her to leave the property while continuing to break into the main house and the neighbouring home of her aunt.
Because of the strong physical appearance of the Nigerians, she asked to go and fetch her baby in the backroom where she frantically phoned the police.
Four of the men followed her to ensure that she grabbed the baby and left the room.
They were only allowed back into their home when police arrived and ordered the men to stop piling the family’s furniture and breakables in the road.
The men were accompanied by one of Mr Moodleys sons but Mr Moodley arrived later when he was notified that the police had halted the illegal eviction.
Mr Moodley produced documents to prove that he was the rightful owner of the property after acquiring it from the agents Property.co.za for almost R2 million.
The agency on Wednesday said that the ownership dispute will be heading to court in August.
Police ordered the Nigerians to carry back the damaged furniture they had removed from the homes but they simply climbed into their cars, which included a BMW X6 and Isuzu bakkie, and drove away.
Ms Naidoo identified three of the men from a previous visit on Tuesday when they confronted her about rooms to let.
Damage to the doors alone amounts to over R12 000 and Ms Naidoo claims that the damage to furniture, breakables, food and medication may elevate damages to well over R30 000.
The Nigerians confessed that Mr Moodley had paid them R500 each to terrorise the family and Mr Moodley himself admitted to the Observer on the scene that he hired the gang "to scare the family".
"Our children were kept out of school on Monday out of fear that they may be followed and intimidated further," Ms Naidoo told the Observer.
Police told the Naidoos that Mr Moodley will be held responsible to track all the participants since he hired them.
A case of malicious damage to property is being investigated.
The bulky Nigerians wore shirts marked "Men of War" to bring the message home to the Naidoos who refuse to move and say they are the legitimate owners of the property and that Mr Moodley will have to prove otherwise.
No arrests have been effected yet.
http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal/content/en/middelburg/middelburg-news-general?oid=7638605&sn=Detail&pid=4979897&%E2%80%9CMen-of-War%E2%80%9D-terrorise-family
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