Durban - The two security guards arrested by Durban metro police chief Eugene Nzama at a shop in Springfield Park have disappeared without trace.
That’s if the versions of the shop where they had been working, the company they were contracted to, police and metro police are anything to go by.
A storm erupted last month after The Mercury reported on how Nzama had allegedly abused his powers by arresting two “illegal” foreign security guards working at the shop entrance. This was after Nzama refused to have his purchase receipt signed as he left after buying two storage boxes.
One guard was arrested on the day of the incident. His replacement was arrested two days later when metro officers returned. The Mercury was unable to establish the identity of the first guard, but the second has been identified by police as Isaac Noya, 36. He now has a criminal record.
Police spokeswoman Captain Nqobile Gwala said Noya was charged with contravening the Private Security Industry Regulation Act. He appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court and was sentenced to three months wholly suspended for five years.
Municipal spokeswoman Tozi Mthethwa said the police were dealing with the matter and the city did not know the men’s whereabouts.
Noya was arrested by city officers and Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority officials two days after his colleague was arrested by metro officers on the instruction of Nzama. Efforts by The Mercury to track both men were unsuccessful.
It is unclear what action had been taken against Nzama, the city saying the matter was “between employer and employee”.
The shop owner, who claimed not to know their whereabouts, said the men had been employed by Cheeky Security. A Cheeky Security official, however, said they “only opened and closed the shop”.
Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority spokeswoman Siziwe Zuma only confirmed the second arrest, which came after “an operation to apprehend illegal security service providers alleged to be operating illegally”. This established the guard on duty was “not registered or trained as a security officer”.
“The security officer was arrested and a case opened against him and his employer (Cheeky Security) at Sydenham SAPS... A Code of Conduct document was opened against Cheeky Security... for deploying an untrained and unregistered security officer and contravening the Private Security Industry Regulation Act,” she said.
The Mercury