Property mogul attacked in Pretoria in his Bentley

Details are still emerging of a what’s understood to be an attack on Sunday on one of South Africa’s richest property magnates, Cosmas Cavaleros.

Cavaleros is the chairman of the Cavaleros Group, a privately owned property investment and development company. The group is involved in commercial, industrial, hotel, retail and residential property developments.

According to its website, the company owns an impressive property portfolio, including the Hilton and Maslow hotels in Sandton, Norwood Mall, Village View Shopping Centre, Bedfordview, the Pick n Pay head office in Kensington, various big supermarkets, Samrand’s Flagship Building and numerous office parks.

According to The Citizen’s sources, Cavaleros was driving a gold Bentley when he entered an underground parking area in Menlyn Maine, a new shopping and restaurant development in Pretoria east.

According to the details we have received, suspects approached the vehicle just after noon on Sunday armed with pistols, and Cavaleros is believed to have tried to escape by driving away and may have driven through a parking boom and into a pillar.

It’s understood he went into cardiac arrest.

He was attended to by paramedics who took him to the Unitas Hospital.

When The Citizen called the family, we were passed on to their spokesperson, who said the case was being investigated and full details would only be released in due course.

The police said they were not yet aware of the matter, and when The Citizen called the family again, we were informed a criminal case had not yet been lodged with the police.

“That’s the last thing on our minds at the moment,” said spokesperson Laila Daya. “Mr Cavaleros is fighting for his life.”

At this stage, it’s not yet clear if the attack was a hijacking or an attempted hit.