Neighbourhood watch group accused of assault
The man and his wife were left disturbed by the incident and are still searching for the motive of the attack.
A SARNIA resident said she would never be able to forget the brutality and the insults that was hurled at her husband and herself by members a neighbourhood watch.
Nozipho Ndlovu alleged that her husband, Isaac, was assaulted by members of the Glenpark Neighbourhood Watch on 12 December, last year.
According to Nozipho who resides in Rushbrook Road, her husband likes to jog after work in the afternoon.
“That day was no different. He finished work and went for a jog and he then went back to work to change. On his way home, he was stopped by two cars in Limpus Road. The people inside started attacking him and my husband ran to try and save himself. They chased him and he jumped over a fence into one of the houses in Limpus Road,” she explained.
Hiding in the premises, Nozipho said that is when her husband got a chance to call her and inform her about the incident.
“They started shouting at the gate saying that there is a criminal in the yard. The owner of the house who is a former policeman came out with a gun. The neighbourhood watch members got inside the premises and started beating him. The owner of the house tried to resolve the situation when my husband told him that he lives in the area. The neighbourhood watch members did not believe him and that’s when he told them that he resides in Rushbrook Road. When I got there, they were dragging him by the hand, I do not know where they were taking him,” said Nozipho.
She said her husband only had his lunchbox and spare car keys on him and she does not understand why they thought he was a criminal.
“He is almost 60 years old and a respectable man. Why would he break into people’s houses?”
She said the part that upset her the most was the people who assaulted her husband did not apologise after she explained to them that they live in the neighbourhood.
“I even asked them if he was really a criminal, why did they not call the police but the answer I got was that the ‘police are lazy’ and they left. Members from the neighbourhood watch are suppose to be protecting the residents. I was very angered and disappointed by their behaviour and the attitude we received from them,” she said.
Neighbourhood Watch denies accusations
Sharman Collins, PR for the Glenpark Neighbourhood Watch said patrollers received a message from one of the residents who was reporting a suspect in her garden.
“Other patrollers chased the man and he disappeared along the railway lines. Our members who were also looking for the suspect saw the man who fitted that description in Marchmomt Road. They blocked him to ask him questions but he left his sandals and started running. He jumped into a house in Limpus Road,” said Collins.
According to Collins, patrollers are not allowed to jump over someone’s property. “They shouted for the owners to open the gate as there was a man inside their yard. The situation got out of hand really fast as the owner had a gun and another neighbour came with a spade saying he wanted to kill him. When we got inside the property we found the owner of the house fighting with the man. One of our patrollers pushed and jumped on top of the man as they tried to protect him from being hit by a spade,” said Collins.
She said that if it was not for them gaining entry into the premises, the man would have suffered serious injuries or would have been killed.
“Our patrollers are firm but fair, the only thing they did was try to restrain him.”
Pinetown SAPS communications officer, W/O Muzi Maphumulo said a case of common assault was reported at Pinetown police station and police are investigating.
