According to Asanda Makaula Dunumba, on the said day, approximately 15 EMPD officers entered her and her husband’s tavern and they allegedly disconnected cameras and started taking all the alcohol in the tavern worth R42 641 plus an amount of R105 000 in cash.
“I was called by one of my employees to rush to the tavern because apparently the officers were there.
“When I got to the tavern the officers had already locked my workers in the EMPD cars and they were busy taking the alcohol.
“I then asked them why they were doing and they said the business was not legit. I then showed them my business permit with my name on and they said it’s not my name written on that permit,” Makaula said.
Makaula said she was insulted by the officers who told her that she was a gold digger who was running after Nigerians, as she is married to a Nigerian man.
She said her husband, Felix Dunumba, was also arrested, apparently for not being a South African citizen.
Meanwhile, the alcohol and the money were taken by the EMPD officers to the Boksburg North Police Station.
Dunumba said he showed them his South African identity document but they insisted that he was an illegal immigrant.
“We had to call someone from Home Affairs to come and declare me a legal citizen and after that I was released,” Felix said.
According to the couple some of the alcohol and money that was taken was never returned.
“Eventually the police declared my business legit seeing the documents that I had. The problem is that when they released the alcohol that was taken from the tavern a large quantity of alcohol was not there.
“When we tried to enquire what happened to the disappeared amount of alcohol we did not get a straight answer,” Makaula said.
According to Dunumba they want the rest of the alcohol that was taken to be returned.
“We want what’s ours; I don’t understand the EMPD’s action on why they did what they did, on top of that taking our money that we have worked for, just like that,” he said.
According to Capt Juanita Coetzer, communications officer of the Boksburg North SAPS, a case of theft has been opened and the police are still investigating.
