Brutal assault: alleged mentally ill attacker goes free
An unknown man responsible for attacking a Burgershoop resident has not been arrested.
The lack of coordination regarding public services might have been what led to a ruthless attack on Burgershoop resident Anver Dabhelia (55) on Tuesday night 5 November.
Dabhelia returned from church to a dark driveway on Tuesday night because street lights in Botha Street have been out of order since September, due to what Mogale City staff told various residents were a lack of contractors.
“Getting out of my car, I noticed a suspicious man running toward me. It was too dark to identify him,” he says.
The man unexpectedly punched Dabhelia to the ground and ran away.
“When I got to my feet I noticed that he was running towards me again, this time with a brick in his hand.”
The man assaulted Dabhelia with the brick but he shouted for help and called out to his wife to alert their next-door neighbours.
“Noticing the neighbours the man fell to the ground pretending to be dead and then unexpectedly jumped up and ran away,” he says.
Reporting the attack minutes later Dabhelia was told that that police were aware of a man suffering from a mental illness who allegedly also was responsible for other attacks in the area.
“Police officers remained in their vehicle when arriving on the scene and did not open a case docket,” says Dabhelia.
He later was taken to the Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital were his forehead was stitched up and he received treatment for wounds to his face and eyes.
The NEWS made multiple attempts to contact Mogale City spokesperson Nkosana Zali for comment on the issue of non-functioning street lights but comment has not been forthcoming.
The Krugersdorp SAPS is also in the process of compiling their comment on the case.
Updates will follow as more information becomes available.
