Durban - A popular Durban wrestler and community activist spent Thursday night in Westville prison after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting and pointing a firearm at a group of men in the early hours of the new year.
Daryl “Nightmare” Naidu was released on R1 000 bail after appearing in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning.
According to the men, Naidu accused them of throwing eggs into his property. They claim that it was just after midnight and they were sitting on a staircase opposite Naidu’s home when the incident occurred.
“We had just returned from our church service and we were chilling on the staircase. Out of the blue, Nightmare approached us and began aggressively asking us who had thrown eggs into his yard.
“We were confused because none of us knew what he was talking about. He had a sjambok in his hand and he began beating us,” said Ashley Thambiran.
He claims that when one of his friends tried to intervene, their worst nightmare was realised when Naidu allegedly pulled out a gun.
Thambiran alleges Naidu was intoxicated, pointed the gun at them and used it to assault them even further. He claims that before pulling out the gun, Naidu said: “You think you’re a gangster? I’ll show you how I start my new year”, and continued beating him up.
“I had deep open wounds on my head because he used the back of the gun to hit me. He also used the sjambok which resulted in deep cuts on my back. My friends also had injuries to their heads and backs,” Thambiran said.
The men were taken to RK Khan Hospital for treatment, and laid a charge with the police afterwards.
But Naidu, who is admired by the Chatsworth community and runs an anti-bullying campaign, tells a different story.
He alleges the men are part of a group of troublemakers who smoke dagga and throw stones at people’s homes. He said on the night of the incident, they had thrown eggs and stones into his yard, which resulted in a broken window.
“I approached them and asked them who was throwing stuff into my yard. It was a large group of men who sit on the staircase and cause trouble. They smoke dagga and get up to nonsense and I’ve tried to stop them a number of times. When I questioned them, they became aggressive and threw the first punch,” he said.
He denied having a gun and said that he did not own one. He said that the men were on a campaign to ruin his reputation because of the “good” work he does in the community.
“I am a successful and active member of the community. Everyone knows about the good work that I do. I do not own a gun and even if I did, I would know better than to use it in public. I have laid an assault charge against the men,” he said.
In 2013, Nightmare was nominated for the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans, which features young stars who are shaping the country’s future.
Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Nqobile Gwala said the motive for the attack was not known. Charges of pointing a firearm and assault had been laid at Chatsworth police station. “A 30-year-old man was arrested. He appeared in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court on January 7.”
Sunday Tribune
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