Johannesburg - Police are looking for Mark Scott-Crossley, who served a jail term for throwing farmworker Nelson Chisale into a lions’ den, in connection with a new attack.
Although they say he is not a suspect at this stage, details have emerged of how a man was dragged and then run over twice as he lay on the ground.
According to Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, of the Limpopo police, the case relates to an incident on December 14 around 7.30pm in Hoedspruit where a man was attacked.
“The victim was on his cellphone outside a shop when he was attacked from behind by a man who grabbed the phone and smashed it to the ground. He was dragged around, and later the man ran him over twice with a silver 4x4 vehicle.
“Initially we thought it was a hit-and-run, but as we gathered more information, we realised from the facts that this sounded like attempted murder,” Mojapelo said.
“His legs were badly injured in the attack.”
Mojapelo insisted that although the victim had given a clear description of his attacker, at this stage they were only looking for Scott-Crossley to question him. “We are not saying that it was him, we want him to help us with information about the case.”
He said police had gone to Scott-Crossley’s home several times, but did not find him. “He has disappeared or gone underground. We are appealing to him to come to us.
“We are asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to come forward,” Mojapelo added.
The regional secretary for the ANC’s Bohlabela branch, Mandla Chauke, identified the victim as 37-year-old Silence Mabunda, though police would not confirm this.
Chauke stressed that the ANC were disturbed by this alleged racist attack.
“We met with the family and they described to us what happened; the attacker told the victim that only white people were allowed to answer their phones, after smashing his phone to the ground.
“He left the restaurant and was followed by the same white man he’d had the altercation with. The man then knocked him down and ran him over with the car,” Chauke said.
The ANC were shocked that this apparent racist attack happened while the country was preparing to celebrate the Day of Reconciliation on December 16.
“South Africa is a democratic country where blacks, Indians, coloureds and whites live together in peace and harmony. We have never thought that at this age of our democracy, people will behave in this unwelcoming manner.
“This is indeed a step back from achieving reconciliation and maintaining our democracy,” Chauke said.
The ANC branch had called for the law to take its course and ensure that the attacker was brought to book.
“We further call for the justice system to ensure that this man is removed from society because he does not deserve to live in our society,” Chauke said.
Scott-Crossley made headlines in 2004 and 2005 after he and two of his farm employees threw Chisale into a lion enclosure, where he was eaten alive.
He was sentenced to life in prison but he appealed and his murder conviction was set aside by the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Instead he was sentenced to five years in prison and was released on parole in 2008.
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