Glenwood guest house staff plead guilty to assisting British nationals during lockdown

GLENWOOD guest house owner, Nazar Salman, and an employee, Ahmed Othoman Elrabiey, who assisted British nationals, James Hackett and Erkan Bali, by housing them at the establishment during the nation-wide lockdown in April 2020, have pleaded guilty to breaking the law.

According to Natasha Kara, regional spokesperson for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) KZN, Hackett and Bali arrived in South Africa in February 2020 and left together for Swaziland on 18 March 2020.

Then on 11 April 2020, they went to the Golela port of entry in an attempt to re-enter South Africa.

She said even though they were denied entry, they drove straight through the port, ignoring the border officials.

They drove to the guest house where they were later arrested.

They pleaded guilty in May 2020 and were handed hefty fines.

Salman, 47, and Elrabiey, 48, were also arrested and charged with helping the two men. They appeared in the Durban Regional Court.

“Elrabiey pleaded guilty to failing to be confined during lockdown, for which he was sentenced to a fine of R3 000, or three months imprisonment, of which R2000 is suspended. He also pleaded guilty to failing to abide by the terms and conditions of his immigrant status,” she said.

Elrabiey is an Egyptian national residing in South Africa on the basis of a work permit for the perfume industry, however, he was managing the unlicensed guest house.

Here, he was sentenced to a fine of R9 000, or nine months imprisonment, of which R6 000 is suspended.

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Kara said Salman pleaded guilty to operating/conducting a business without a business licence.

He was sentenced to a fine of R3 000, or three months imprisonment, of which R2 000 was suspended.

“He pleaded guilty to running a business in a residential area and was sentenced to a fine of R15 000, or 24 months imprisonment, of which R10 000 was suspended. Salman also pleaded guilty to running a non-essential business during lockdown. For this, he was fined R15 000, or six months imprisonment, of which R 10 000 was suspended,” said Kara.

She said all the suspended sentences are for a period of five years and on condition that they are not convicted of the same offences during the period of suspension.

The matter was successfully prosecuted by Durban Regional Court Prosecutor Ronitha Singh. Kara said the NPA welcomed the conviction and sentence.  

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