Race row? in Witbank after Afrikaner CPF-members make citizens' arrest of self-admitted mountain-bike thief Mr B D Vengelsamy
29 August 2013 MIDDELBURG/WITBANK Gerhard Rheeder reports without providing any proof, that a 'race row' has erupted in the town after a rash of housebreakings had local resident fight back against the criminals in Witbank, something which, the journalist claims, also happened in nearby Middelburg.
Albert Holtzhause of Hencom Autobody, a member of the local citizen-policing forum, was not yet asked to plead in the local Witbank court on charges that he had assaulted a self-admitted thief, Mr B D Vengelsamy, who had stolen a mountain-bike from his erf. The value of the mountain-bike is estimated at R4,000.
The SAPS says after Mr Holtzhausen's release from overnight detention that 'several members of the CPF will have to be investigated as to their involvement in the citizens' arrest. No mention of 'racism' was contained in the police-statement.
Holtzhausen said he was held in the police-cells Thursday night and granted bail of R1000 the next day. He identified the self-admitted mountain-bike thief as mr B D Vengelsamy and said he trapped him on his premises but the man fled. When Holtzhausen raised the CPF-alarm members captured the man and brought him back to Holtzhausen's house to wait for the SAPS to arrest him. The SAPS was slow to respond: they first attended another crime scene.
What happened next is confusing as there are two versions of the event.
Mr Vengelsamy's version is that Mr Holtzhausen had 'sicked dogs on the tied-up man; that he had 'tried to drown' Mr Vengelsamy in a swimming pool, and that he had 'beat him with planks." The SAPS claimed that upon their very late arrival after first attending to another crime-scene, "Mr Vengelsamy 'had bite and beating marks on his body and his hair was wet and full of grass'. It's not clear thus far where the charges of 'racism' were brought into this picture but the SAPS arrested both men.
Mr Holtzhausen's version of events - backed up by members of the CPF who were present at the arrest - that Mr Vengelsamy had tried to flee and jumped across a wall, not knowing that the adjacent erf contained 'dangerous dogs'. "The dogs bit him and we (the members of the CPF present at the scene) brought him to safety. At no stage was he beaten or was any attempt made to drown him'.
SAPS capt Eddie Hall said 'the involvement of several men in the CPF will have to be investigated because of their presence at the arrest of Mr Vengelsamy. We will have to investigate this matter thoroughly.'
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http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal/content/en/middelburg/middelburg-news-crime?oid=7747602&sn=Detail&pid=4979893&eMalahleni-GPF-lede-beskuldig-van-aanval-op-boef
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