While there were rumours yesterday that two arrests had been made in connection with the suspected petrol bombing of an Observatory nightclub on Friday, police said they were still hunting for the culprits.
Spokesman November Filander said last night police were still following various leads, among them a stolen vehicle the attackers abandoned in Maitland after a police chase.
Two men are alleged to have walked into the Barmooda club, held four staff members at gunpoint and forced them to the back of the club, then tied their hands with cable ties before robbing them.
The four were rescued by a 21-year-old student working upstairs. She heard a loud noise at about 2.30am, followed by their cries for help.
She found them bound downstairs, unable to find an exit in the thick smoke, and led them to safety outside.
Meanwhile, Barmooda’s tearful owner Reon Heckrath spoke yesterday of his loss, and vowed to reopen the club.
“I feel shattered that I couldn’t protect my staff and the club that’s been my life for the past eight years.” But Heckrath said he planned to start over.
“This is my whole life. It’s everything I have. I’m angry and I’m hurt. I have no idea why this happened,” he said.
Business owners who had been using the space above the club were also at the scene yesterday to remove their fire- and soot-damaged belongings.
Photographer Sally Mellish, who was uninsured, said she had lost equipment worth R300 000.
Ilse Oberholster, owner of Mnandi Textiles and Design, said all her fabrics and clothes had burn marks.
Her insurance would remove her stock for assessment tomorrow, but she would not in the meantime be in a position to earn an income.
Residents said they would oppose the club’s reopening, which some claimed was run by “gangsters”.
But Heckrath was adamant they had no connection to any gangs, although he acknowledged “many people in Observatory don’t like me”.
“The residents want me to close down. Lots of people complained about the noise. But this is my livelihood,” he said.
One resident said: “We’ve been trying for so long to get them closed. It’s been a nightmare of bureaucratic red tape.”
Another said: “They’ve had it coming for a long time. No tears are shed for that hellhole. It’s good riddance.”
A third, who has lived near Barmooda for several decades, said the noise kept him awake until the early hours, and was unbearable.
Weekend Argus