Vlamo opens SAPS case after viral threat video, hires visible security
The Durban restaurant says the man filmed threatening women is not its owner, and police now have his details.
A restaurant in Durban has opened a criminal case with the South African Police Service after a man was filmed threatening women on its premises, and says police have identified him and hold his details.
Vlamo, the Durban restaurant at the centre of the footage, said the complaint was laid at midday on Saturday by the business and by the women involved. Management said the restaurant is co-operating fully with the authorities and that the women and the business will hand over all relevant information and footage to support the investigation.
The Citizen reported that management confirmed the man in the video is not the owner of the restaurant and holds no ownership or management role there, and that any suggestion otherwise is incorrect.
In the footage, the man is heard telling the women he could put a bullet in them after they told him he was not allowed into the ladies’ powder room.
What the state has said about the case
The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster had already urged the women to open criminal cases, explaining that police generally cannot act on a crime of this kind without a complainant.
The cluster said a case would allow the Designated Firearms Officer to begin a Section 102 procedure under the Firearms Control Act. That process can see a person declared unfit to possess a firearm, with any licences, competency certificates or permits suspended or cancelled.
Threatening to shoot someone is not a figure of speech in law. It is intimidation, and the Firearms Control Act gives the state a specific instrument to test whether a person who makes that threat should be holding a licence at all. The Section 102 route exists for exactly this, and it only opens once somebody lays a charge.
Security on the premises
Vlamo said visible security personnel will be stationed on the premises to maintain a safe environment for guests and staff. Management did not say how many officers would be deployed or whether further measures would follow.
It thanked the organisations and individuals who have offered support, saying it welcomes efforts that support the women affected, and said it would give further updates where appropriate while respecting the privacy and dignity of those affected.
The Sanral instruction
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has instructed the board of the SA National Roads Agency to investigate a company linked to the businessman in the video, to establish whether it received a contract from the agency and whether it is meeting all its contractual obligations.
That instruction puts a state entity’s procurement record into the same sequence of events as the criminal complaint. The roads agency has not yet reported back on what the investigation finds.
What happens next
The criminal case now sits with the police, who have the man’s details. The Section 102 process under the Firearms Control Act can begin only once the complaint is registered, and it runs on its own track through the Designated Firearms Officer. Sanral’s board is expected to report on the contract question to the minister.
The restaurant has not said how long the additional security will remain in place.
Source: The Citizen, Vlamo opens criminal case, adds ‘visible security’ after viral threat video
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