Northwold community members who were involved in the altercation, have shared their recollection of the events.
“Our neighbourhood has been on the edge for some time now, dealing with break-ins, hijackings and other types of crime. As we thought that Diwali celebrations would only take place on Saturday, we prepared our pets accordingly. But when the fireworks were set off on Sunday, our animals were not prepared for it,” said Northwold resident Peter Schafer.
Schafer claimed that when he arrived at the property around 7.51pm, there were only two vehicles with three women at the gate.
“Minutes later, the property owners released more fireworks, and they were big ones. The more and more we asked them to ‘please stop’, the more they carried on,” continued Schafer.
He stated that it was at this point that tensions escalated. Banging at the property gate occurred every time a new firework was set off, and an altercation with aggressive words was shared from both sides of the fence, according to Schafer.
“We called security and the police, who came to the scene. If they did not come, they would have probably carried on,” said fellow Northwold resident Gary Botha.
According to Botha, police officers spoke to the homeowner before exiting the property and telling the group that they can lay a complaint, and to disperse.
Fellow Northwold resident Bridgit Davis added, “My question is what other means did they have to celebrate the occasion, such as candles and lanterns, besides the gigantic pyrotechnics? We have to respect our neighbours and the environment we live in.
“One thing that disturbed me was that the residents say that they are pet owners and that they care about their animals. No person that really cares about animals would make a noise like that around their own pets.”
The community members said that they are a very inclusive and close-knit community, and this was not an issue of race. They said that it was a matter of standing up against what they believe should not have been happening on that night.
They added that there were other Indian people in their group on the night.
They also added that they felt like the good name of their suburb had been tarnished.
All community members spoken to during the interview, and some who commented on social media, alleged that City by-laws were broken in terms of the date the firing of the fireworks took place and their proximity to nearby old age homes.
Metro police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar once again confirmed that those celebrating Diwali were allowed to display fireworks at their homes on both the Saturday and Sunday, so long as all other by-laws were adhered to.
Fireworks cannot be set off inside any building, on any agricultural holding, at any public place, or on the grounds of any school, old age home or hospital. Laws regarding the proximity a firework can be set off apply only to explosives factories, explosives storage places, petrol depots or petrol stations, which is 500m.
Homeowner Vernon Royappen has strongly denied any allegations that he and his family incited anger in the other residents by throwing any object first.
In CCTV footage shown to Randburg Sun, angry residents can be seen banging on the gate, shouting, and trying to lift the gate off its rails. One rock is thrown over the wall, from the outside, in. Randburg Sun has chosen not to publish the full footage, as the homeowners have indicated that they will be pressing criminal charges.
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