PHAKAMA’S SON DOUSES BUS WITH PETROL, THREATENS TO SET IT ALIGHT

MALKERNS - The estate battle between the family members of the late businessman, Richard ‘Phakama’ Dlamini, was taken to another level yesterday.

According to sources close to the matter, one of the sons of the late businessman allegedly went to Phakama Investments garage, where the fleet of his father’s buses are parked and doused one of the buses with petrol and threatened to set it alight, something which could have also killed him in the process.

The source alleged that the late businessman’s son allegedly arrived at the garage at around 4am. According to the source, the son of the late businessman was among the siblings who halted operations at Phakama Investments by putting chains and padlocks at the doors of the shops that were leased out and stopped the buses from leaving the garage.

Demand 

Their demand was that their brother, who currently operates the businesses, should furnish them with documents that proved that their father owned 50 per cent shares at Phakama Investment, so that they could speed up the process of distributing the estate. Their argument was that their mothers were struggling as they were allegedly not given money to survive. 

Luckily, the source said the police got a tip-off about the businessman’s son’s plans and law enforcers were deploy to the garage, allegedly with a mandate to try and negotiate with the man.

However, according to the source, the late businessman’s son, who was inside the bus and allegedly carrying a box of matches, threatened to set the vehicle alight if anyone came closer to it (bus). At the time, the source alleged that the passenger door of the bus was unlocked. 

As a result, the source said the police retreated and stood outside the garage with some of the Phakama Investments employees, including the security guards, who had left their duty stations out of fear.

However, the source said some of the workers, especially the bus drivers and conductors, managed to drive out the other vehicles and went to work. Meanwhile, the source said the driver of the bus, which the businessman’s son had doused with petrol, waited until around midday.

Even during this time, the late businessman’s son was still inside the vehicle. The source alleged that the driver had the hope that the situation would normalise and he would be able to drive out the bus and start working. 

Eat 

During the day, the source alleged that some family members, including his (son) mother, came and persuaded him to eat, but he refused. Later on, the source said his wife was also called to try to talk to him, but even that did not make any difference as he continued to sit inside the bus, threatening to set it alight if anyone came close.

The source said by this time, the son of the late businessman had locked the doors of the bus. He said law enforcers monitored the situation from a distance the whole day yesterday.

In fact, this publication reliably gathered from Phakama Investments workers, who knocked off at 5pm, that the situation had not changed. 

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the matter. 

She was called at around 6:30pm and she said the situation had not changed and negotiations between the police and the man were still ongoing.

It is worth noting that this took place a day after High Court Judge Nkosinathi Maseko had issued an order that four of the late businessman’s children; Nhlanhla Dlamini, Sanele Dlamini, Zama Dlamini and Ntombi Dlamini, should remove all the chains and locks on their father’s place of business. This was after their brother, Muzi Dlamini, moved an urgent application in court.

The businessman died about seven years ago and he had four wives and 29 children; however, one of the wives passed on. 

The late Phakama owned a fleet of buses among other properties and had assets which include 50 per cent shares in Phakama Investments, 50 per cent in Sigwaca Holdings and about E360 000 cash in the bank. The deceased’s immovable assets totalled E3 811 000 while his movable assets totalled E952 750, according to the first liquidation and distribution account of his estate.

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