Our lunch time news is full of it.
Those of you following the ‘Cape Town Honeymoon Murder’ case may recall that Barrister Ben Watson representing our lot told the court that Tongo (the taxi driver) had been told that this wasn’t the first time that the millionaire from Bristol had arranged a hijacking and killing.
In 2007 Dr. Pox Raghavjee was hijacked, murdered in his car and left outside a sports stadium near King Williams Town.
What baffled police at the time was that his wallet and other personal possessions (including his mobile phone) were left at the scene.
What’s the connection? The wife is a personal friend of the Dewani family and it was Dr. Pox Raghavjee’s widow (Heather Raghavjee) who drove to Cape Town the morning after the brutal killing of Anni to comfort the husband.
Heather Raghavjee is unfortunately out of the country at the moment so police are unable to move forward!
Reports here (The local King Williams town paper) and here (The Times, S.A. edition)
A fourth man is now thought to be in custody, he was the gobetween between the convicted taxi driver and the two who carried out the attack.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Curiouser and curiouser.
Interesting, and rather answers a comment Bearsy read by Dewani’s solicitor as to whether it was feasible that the man could find a ‘hit’ man within an hour of landing in SA.
The plot thickens and it is not looking good, but frankly I found the responses on the Times interesting, Soutie.
My own, perhaps rather naive reading of the “news” was that the doctor’s widow was introduced to the PARENTS of the groom under suspicion, some years ago, by the person who drove down with her to comfort their son. But of course that isn’t nearly as newsworthy and revenue-generating as suggesting that the doctor’s widow knew the man under suspicion, and in doing so, suggesting that they could have been involved to the extent that he helped her wipe out her husband some years earlier…
140 hits and counting, Soutie. You have a large fan base out there! Great stuff, the Chariot has seldom achieved so many hits (641 so far today). 😎
Yes Bearsy, I was watching the stats during the afternoon, I thought that the post might go ‘viral’ as toc’s Loony Party post did, seems to have settled down this last hour or two.
(When I saw the interest generated I deliberately ‘hung around’ in case we attracted comments requiring approval but then the lateness of the hour got the better of me!)
CWJ
No, no, here’s the newsworthy bit.
Hijackings happen, normally¹ for one of two reasons;
1) To steal the car
2) To steal the occupants possessions and/or rape the female occupants.
Here’s the rub, in both cases neither of the above seem to have happened, coincidence?
¹ I use the word ‘normally’ but they are very very rare occurrences down here, I’d hate members to get the impression that they are daily events, when something of this nature happens here in the Eastern Cape it is very very rare and very big news
Many years ago, I remember reading of a wonderful invention in South Africa, possibly apocryphal, to deter car hijackings, which involved a line of propane burners, mounted under your door sills, and ignitable at a press of a button which sent a sheet of flame outwards and upwards, incinerating anyone stupid enough to be threatening you standing by your car windows.
Please don’t tell me that they aren’t available in South Africa, Soutie – I was going to ask you to order a set for Chuck and Camille for Christmas 🙂
I remember it very well CWJ (no I didn’t get one) can remember the picture quite clearly, can’t find it at the mo, if I do I’ll post it.
It was of course immediately outlawed but you’re right, it would have worked a treat in Regent street the other night 😉
This isn’t the picture that I had in mind but still shows the effects well enough.
Click the picture or here for the article
Here it is:-
Well done Toc 😉
I want one! 👿
I must ask BMW if they can retrofit them!
I knew something was dodgy the moment Max Clifford got involved.
I think this is a better option since it is more selective and avoids collateral damage:
Works for me Bravo,
I do see a problem with him eating my groceries on the way home though!
🙂
Do you think this is what Bheke Cele was referring to when he mentioned a monkey coming to SA?
Soutie
I think it was rather disingenuous of you not to have explained that your Police Commissioner “General” Cele, apart from having already sparked controversy in the case, calling Mr Dewani a “monkey”, is a career ANC politician, who had no policing experience prior to being appointed National Commissioner when, incidentally, his predecessor was charged with corruption.
As an ANC politician he has every possible interest in the world of South Africa to divert attention away from anything which may damage South Africa’s valuable tourism industry. Here we were, thinking that we were dealing with a top-notch Capetown Yard Dixon of Dock Green combination, when in fact we seem to have a political baboon dressed in a General’s suit…
CWJ, please pay attention, here’s a comment of mine from yesterday’s thread (a thread on which you commented)
December 11, 2010 at 4:56 am | #8 Quote | Edit
Ara
Bheki Cele, the Commissioner of Police isn’t a policeman but a political appointee!
A withdrawal of your scurrilous accusation would be appreciated.
Dear Soutie, My most humble apologies – I am afraid I must have taken my eye off the ball there for a moment, or possibly early onset Alzheimers? Please consider my scurrilous attack on your disengenuousness totally withdrawn 🙂
Dear Soutie, My most humble apologies – I am afraid I must have taken my eye off the ball there for a moment, or possibly early onset Alzheimers? Please consider my scurrilous attack on your disengenuousness totally withdrawn 🙂
But it really says it all, doesn’t it, when the Police Force of a country is being headed by career politicians from the ruling party, and not career policemen?
Hello again CWJ, thanks, I’m pleased that we’ve sorted that out 😉
I’m I right in thinking that your coppers report to Theresa May?
Is she a ‘career policemen’ ?
She’s certainly had a lot to say about that skirmish in London, even suggesting water canons, mind you a lot of them looked like they needed a good soaking!
At the end of the day don’t all civil servants report to a politician? (I’ll even include the armed forces)
Soutie you make a valid point about Theresa May not being a ‘proper copper’. Inevitably there is a politico at the head of these institutions, but I suppose confusion sets in when they start running the day to day affairs of the police, military or judiciary and give themselves executive titles, such as General or Commissioner. Having said that Winston Churchill took a very active role in the affairs of the Military during WW2. At least he had seen considerable active service in Cuba, India, South Africa, and WW1, and so spoke with some authority.
How is General Cele performing – in general, I mean, is he doing a good job? Are people satisfied?
Poorly, no, unlikely.
Mind you his predecessor is doing 15 years in jail for accepting bribes and colluding with the local mafia types so I suppose he’s an improvement 😉
Sounds like ours 🙂
Theresa May of course is not the Police Commissioner. She is Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equality. (Is there a Minister for Men, I wonder?)
Sir Paul Stephenson, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police is a career policeman, and his predecessor was sacked effectively for the perception that he was politically partial. This sowed discontent and undermined his authority. Various regions all have their own Chief Constables, likewise career appointments, having risen through the ranks of various UK police forces.
So there is a long tradition of the Chiefs of Police in the UK being required to be politically impartial, (as are all other civil servants), and they breach that impartiality at their peril.
Incidentally it will come as no surpirse that we also have bent coppers surfacing occasionally – two or three in a particular region were given the chop just a few days ago, so in that South Africa holds no monopoly, although I suspect the level of corruption may be at an altogether different level and pervasiveness…
Well put CWJ.
CWJ and Toc, if you’re happy that your coppers don’t report to Westminster, I’ll live with that, I find it hard to believe but I’ll live with it.