The City Times was still investigating the vicious attack on a homeless man, allegedly by local guards and tow truck drivers, when we received depressing news that a beggar was found stabbed to death.
The homeless man who was killed used to beg for money at the traffic lights at the intersection of Great North Road and Celia Nestadt Road, near the Engen garage.
It is not known who stabbed him.
Police spokesman Lieut Nomsa Sekele said the body of the man was found on May 18, along Celia Nestadt Road, with several stab wounds in the upper body.
Police are investigating a case of murder.
On May 1, at around 5pm, a local resident witnessed a shocking incidents while filling up with petrol at the BP garage, between Tom Jones and Bunyan streets.
“I saw a vicious assault on the vagrant who lives under the tree on the embankment of the N12 off-ramp,” said the resident.
“This may very well have been another Waterkloof four incident.
“I am worried about those vagrants, as they may very well just disappear now, and the bodies be found floating in Middle Lake.
“They obviously don’t have anyone who cares about them and, If they disappear, who will question it or look for them?”
The resident alleges that the homeless man was first harassed by a CMS security patrol man — who had been standing and talking to GNCP security patrol men — and was forcefully removed from the forecourt of the garage where he had gone “to what appeared to me, to fetch a bucket of water”.
“He was run across the tar and thrown onto the grass of the embankment, face down,” said the resident.
“When he stood up he was once again pushed over, and It was then that a CAS tow truck pulled up onto the grass embankment.”
The resident witnessed a “rather large tow truck driver” getting out of the tow truck and starting to push the vagrant around.
“This was followed, shortly afterwards, by three more CAS tow trucks,” said the resident.
“The drivers got out and viciously attacked the vagrant, and all the petrol attendants screamed at the tow truck drivers to stop.”
Another motorist stopped and confronted the tow truck drivers.
This attack apparently happened in full view of not only CMS patrolmen, but also GNCP security personnel, who did nothing to stop it.
“I called 10111 and was told the police would be sent, and the tow truck drivers then got into their trucks and sped away,” said the resident.
“But what was even more shocking, was that when the police arrived, they laughed and said they were not going to do anything, because the vagrant was drunk.
“They said that when he was sober he could go to the police station and lay a charge.
“The police officers were not wearing name badges and refused to identify themselves and asked me ‘what the f*** I wanted their names for?’.”
They got into their police van and left.
The vagrant was seriously injured.
“What chance do we have when thugs like these are running around our town?” asked the resident.
“When people who are there to protect stand by and watch when this is happening?”
The matter was has been reported to CMS, GNCP, CAS and the police.
CAS manager Boeries Venter told the City Times he had fired one of the drivers, as he always gave him problems, and that another had received a written final warning.
Benoni police spokesperson Lieut Nomsa Sekele said the matter has been addressed with the officers involved and that an internal investigation is underway.
Several attempts to get comment from CMS were fruitless.
Shocking absolutely horrifying. I actually knew this man. His name was Jan and he was a vagrant that came to our church every week for food parcels and clothing. This is so heartbreaking and I am wondering if this is just going to be one of those cold cases that gets filed in the dustbin at the end of the week. What is going to happen to those people who assulted him?, did anyone take down details – car reg numbers etc. Im sure there is more that we as a community can do to stand up to those bullies and CMS SHAME on you !!!! Im a client of yours – not for long though….. your boards and details will be removed from my premises because this is NOT the first incident of this sort I heard from you in our community in just ONE week. Shame on you for starting off this mans death – you should be the ones protecting and serving- not even going to talk about the poor distatefull manner of our local SAPS here. Maybe one should go up higher to get some sort of payback and results.