Durban - Kloof businessman Bruce Galloway, who claims he was abducted outside his home by armed men who then threw him over Kloof Gorge, was having “serious financial difficulties” and was being sued by some of his business partners who were threatening to have him prosecuted, one of his partners said.
And the day before he went missing, he was “admonished” at a meeting by some of his partners for the way he was controlling the finances of their businesses.
“He left the meeting in haste and then mysteriously disappeared the next day,” Christian Thandolwenkosi Mjadu said in an affidavit before the Durban High Court in which he suggests Galloway, 53, may have “orchestrated his own disappearance”.
Mjadu, a partner with Galloway in hardware retailing business Build-It, made an urgent application on July 25, two days after Galloway disappeared, securing an order suspending the authority that Galloway and his son, Wayne, had to transact on the company’s two bank accounts which held funds totalling almost R2 million.
When the matter came back to court on Wednesday, the order was set aside.
Responding to a request for comment, Galloway said it had been withdrawn by consent “because I was found” but the application contained “a number of inaccuracies”.
He said he still intended to set the record straight but declined to comment further.
Mjadu said in his affidavit before the court that he had a 70 percent stake and Galloway a 30 percent stake in the business which supplied bulk hardware to the Spar group.
He controlled the operations side of it while Galloway did the administration, finances and, with his prior approval, paid all the bills.
Mjadu said Galloway had similar shareholdings in a number of companies with other black businessmen and it was his “modus operandi” to run the finances in these as well.
He was trusted because he had an “impressive history” with the Spar group and was chairman of the cane growers association.
Regarding the “alleged abduction”, Mjadu said there were concerns “that it displayed features that cause suspicions about its authenticity”.
And, he said, he was worried about the safety of the money in the bank.
“There is a real possibility that he or his alleged abductors may unlawfully gain access to the accounts.
“I am aware that he was having serious financial difficulties and at least three parties who are shareholders with him have instituted legal proceedings claiming that he has not conducted the administration and finance of these businesses lawfully.
“I was advised by some of the shareholders that a meeting was held on July 22 with the Spar group.
“At that meeting he was admonished for his conduct and the manner in which he controlled those businesses and there was a strong likelihood that he would be prosecuted for his conduct.”
Mjadu said it was conceivable “he may have orchestrated his own abduction for his own benefit”.
“If it (his abduction) was contrived he may unlawfully access the funds which, it appears, he may have done to others…”
He said if his suspicions were misplaced, “and I do not intend to malign anyone’s integrity” it was possible Galloway’s abductors might force him to withdraw the money or his son may be tempted to use it to pay any ransom demand.
Galloway was found three days after he went missing on a ledge in the gorge. He claimed to have been thrown from a public viewing point by his abductors after he refused to divulge the pin number for his ATM card.
He was admitted to hospital and underwent a back operation.
He has made a statement to police in which he said he would not recognise his attackers.
The Mercury