A Grahamstown man is fearing for his life after an attack on Monday night – which he claims was orchestrated by a business rival and former employer – left him bruised and in pain and, he believes, within seconds of being burnt alive.
A Grahamstown man is fearing for his life after an attack on Monday night – which he claims was orchestrated by a business rival and former employer – left him bruised and in pain and, he believes, within seconds of being burnt alive.
Mubeen Ahmed, who moved to the Eastern Cape from Pakistan, arrived at the Grocott's Mail offices this week and showed reporters red marks on his back that he said were the result of being beaten with a hot iron rod.
Ahmed, who owns a cellphone repair outlet at Crafters Court, Bathurst Street, said a rival had warned him soon after he opened it in December to close shop and leave town. Ahmed told Grocott's Mail he used to work for the man, whose name is known to Grocott's Mail.
Ahmed then described the terror of being kidnapped and attacked this week. He said he was asleep at home on Monday night when he was woken by a knock on the door. When I opened the door, I saw one guy who told me that I should come out of the house so that he can talk to me. I told him that I don't know him so I cannot come out, and five more guys came out of a bakkie and they grabbed and dragged me to the bakkie.
Ahmed said when he resisted, they pulled out a gun, covered his face with his shirt and put him in the back of the bakkie. He said they took him to the Vukani township shop of one of the men and forced him to take off his clothes. He said they video-recorded this and the ordeal that followed.
"They then started hitting me with a hot iron rod. When I started to cry, they covered my face with a blanket, and one of them sat on my head while the others continued beating me," he said.
Ahmed said he begged his attackers, one of whom was his former employer, not to kill him and promised he would leave Grahamstown. But they told him it was too late, and told him that now they wanted him to leave this world.
"They poured Coke on my head and shaved part of my head, my eyebrows and beard." Ahmed said his attackers then threatened to set him alight, arguing that a gunshot would make a noise and alert the neighbours.
He said they had poured paraffin on him, but that as they were at the point of setting him alight, the cellphone of one of the men rang. They all went outside and I overheard them saying that my neighbour has reported the matter to the police.
As they were talking outside, I managed to escape through the door, Ahmed said. I ran away and they started chasing. Ahmed said that they shouted to him that he should tell the police that he had been robbed by local thugs and not say anything about the kidnapping and attack, before they gave up chasing him.
Ahmed said that he immediately went to the police station in Beaufort Street. He told Grocott's Mail that he feared for his life, claiming that some of his attackers were dangerous thugs who had committed serious crimes in cities like Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.
Police spokesperson, Captain Mali Govender has confirmed that a case of kidnapping and assault was opened and said police had arrested one suspect. Police were still investigating, said Govender.
