Durban: Two men have been arrested following a recent brawl at the Pearls parking lot in uMhlanga. During the incident, one person was shot and another was stabbed.
Vanesh Govender, 26, and Prinesh Jugmohanlallsan, 39, were charged with attempted murder and assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm. It is alleged that the altercation began at the Times Square restaurant at the Pearls and continued in the parking lot.
Videos of the incident have been circulating on social media. In a 2-minute-30-second video, a woman can be heard shouting, while a male voice can be heard saying: "Phone the police."
The camera then moves closer to a group congregating around a man on the floor. He is being cradled by a female companion. Blood can be seen. He is believed to have been shot in the leg. The injured man is then taken to a vehicle.
The camera moves to a woman who is barefoot. She is seemingly trying to separate a fight. A man, holding a gun, is slapped in the face and his gun falls. It is then picked up by another person. This person is then accosted by a group of men, one of whom is holding a second gun. A woman in the background says: "How can they shoot him?"
The man, who was slapped, runs out of the parking lot and the group follows him on to the road. One person says: "Don't hit him, he is bleeding his guts."
Another video shows the man on the ground, bleeding from the back.
Brian Mafoko, the manager at Times Square, said he remembered a group of friends drinking at the bar lounge, and that they were celebrating a birthday.
"They were sitting in the bar lounge and they were listening to music. Then an argument started. I believe it was one of the ladies that started the commotion. A guy had entered the bar and he wanted to chat with the lady. The lady responded in a nasty way.“
Mafoko said the woman was intoxicated and began creating a ruckus. He said it was at that point that she was asked to leave.
"She left with her boyfriend."
Mafoko said the man who approached her continued drinking with his friends. He said soon everyone was escorted out due to the curfew, including the said male. He said he believed the man had called for back-up during this time.
"From what we know, they had the weapons in the car. The back-up that arrived had a gun, while the other group had a bush knife in the car. Everything that followed happened in the car park, nothing at our restaurant. We had to close the doors at the entrance. We could not go and interfere. We let mall security handle it."
He said the group were regulars and knew they would never be allowed into the establishment with weapons.
"Every night, everyone is thoroughly checked for weapons. If someone is found with a gun, they have to leave it at the door and get it when they leave. This particular group did not have any weapons on them that night."
Several members of the group were approached for comment, but declined.
Captain Nqobile Gwala, the provincial police spokesperson, said that charges of attempted murder and assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm were opened at Durban North SAPS.
She said one male was shot in the leg and another was stabbed after an argument.
"Two suspects, aged 26 and 39, were placed under arrest. The suspects appeared in the Verulam Magistrate's Court on May 31. The matter was adjourned to July 7."
The Post