Barcellos set ablaze

Arson is suspected after fire nearly completely destroyed a restaurant in Nelcity centre on Monday morning. The Barcelos franchise store located on the corner of Samora Machel and Paul Kruger streets in the heart of the CBD, was guttered at around 02:00am. According to a security guard on duty at the time, a man was seen at the window of the restaurant before the fire broke out. The guard alleged that when the man saw him, he ran off towards the Absa square and moments later there was a fire.

The restaurant’s owner, Chi Omelazu, said in a telephonic interview with Lowvelder that he believed the fire was deliberately started following a week’s long intimidation by an unknown caller.

“I own another business in town, what used to be the former Cayotes, and a week ago on Friday, the police arrested me there in front of all my patrons. They claimed I was an illegal immigrant and that I was commiting fraud. I was held in a prison cell until the Monday when I appeared in court. Subsequently the case was dropped because my lawyers found my documents to be in order at Home Affairs. Since then I have been receiving threatening sms messages from an unknown number warning that I will be taken out.”

On Tuesday evening there was another burglary at his other establishment, just a day after the fire at Barcelos.

“This is ridiculous, Im trying to make a decent living and Ive been in Nelspruit for more than eight years. Why am I now suddenly being harrassed like this?”

At the time of going to print Omelazu and his family were in Pretoria after concerns for their safety and the damage to the building had not been established.