LYDENBURG – The Carte Blanche team members got more than they bargained for when they recently visited town.
The crew visited the local SAPS after they had come under attack by Mr Samora Mlotja, director of Full Output. They had asked to be taken to the much-talked-about R1 stand developed by Mlotja. At the stand, no one was available to open the gate.
They then did a broadcast link from the street when he suddenly pulled up in his vehicle, stopping two doors away from his house, where DA Cllr Farhad Essack had been standing talking on his phone. He stormed Essack with a brick in his hand threatening to kill him because of all the unnecessary exposure. Essack apparently told him that he would lay a charge of assault and crimen injuria. Mlotja then stormed away and went to his house where the Carte Blanche crew was stationed.
He then attacked the entire team with the brick. He kicked the equipment out of the cameraman’s hands after which he stormed the producer and presenter, physically abusing them and threatening to kill them. He apparently shouted, “I will f**king kill you people.” According to presenter Bonita Nuttall, Mlotja pushed her and then turned on the cameraman Piet Snyman.
In the process the camera, which was still filming, tumbled to the ground, capturing footage of the enraged man. Thereafter Essack and the Carte Blanche crew proceeded to the police station in Lydenburg and laid individual charges against him.
Producer Bernadette Maguire phoned the newspaper and told them they had to postpone the scheduled interview at the Steelburger/Lydenburg News offices to the following morning as they were at the SAPS laying assault charges. Snyman told the newspaper that while they were at the police station, Mlotja had also arrived. Four charges of assault were laid against him, with the entire incident being captured on film. He angrily told the newspaper that the team had invaded his privacy.
“It is my house. They did not let me know they were coming. It’s not about my house, it’s about the land. If Carte Blanche wants to take photos, they must take them of the land and not the house. I applied for an RDP house in 2010 and it was approved in 2011. But then I started working for TCM and was told I no longer qualified.
I was shown empty stands within my budget. I chose the one of R20 000. The money was paid over to TCM and I have the receipt. They gave their statement and I gave mine and the docket has been sent to the prosecutor for a decision.” Mlotja gave the newspaper a copy of the said receipt of the R20 000 transfer to TCM. “I publicly request Farhad to stay away from me and my property. I repeat what I said yesterday – I will kill him.”
