California night club went up in flames yesterday – after hundreds of Pefferville residents looted it.
The mob was protesting the death of a Pefferville woman, Nandipha Vaaltyn. She died on Tuesday, allegedly of a drug overdose while in the company of men drinking at the club.
Forensic officials on site estimated yesterday’s damage at R500000.
Police have opened an inquest docket into the 31-year-old woman’s death.
A meeting by a group of residents in Pefferville yesterday ended with them marching to the club, which is situated in St Pauls Road in Arcadia, just after 1pm.
A business owner in the area, who did not want to give his name, said he went to investigate when he heard angry people chanting outside the pub yesterday.
“They did not waste time; they all went in and started taking the alcohol out. Then they petrol-bombed the place. It was terrible, especially when they started fighting with the foreign nationals who were drinking at the place at the time.
“I fear people are still going to kill each other over this,” the business owner said.
When the Dispatch arrived at the scene yesterday, the club was on fire. Two municipal water trucks soon arrived and put out the flames.
The club manager, who declined to give his name, refused to be interviewed.
Members of the East London public order police and Buffalo City law enforcement officers evicted the angry crowd from the club and sealed off St Pauls Road to allow forensic investigators to work on the scene.
Police spokeswoman Lieutenant-Colonel Mtati Tana said no arrests had been made in connection with Vaaltyn’s death.
“She was found with foam substances in her mouth. She did not have visible injuries. We are hoping that the postmortem report will shed more light on her death,” Tana said.
Her cousin, Veronica Vaaltyn, believes she was drugged and later raped. Vaaltyn said her cousin had never visited the club before Tuesday.
“She was offered a lift by men at the beachfront. They took her there and drugged her; she never went there on her own.
“She was found outside the club on Tuesday at 11pm. She did not deserve to die that way, Vaaltyn said.”
Pefferville resident Hannah Arendse said the motive behind the march to California was to shut it down completely.
“This is not xenophobia, we have just had enough of the drugs that are destroying our children,” Arendse said.
North End crowd torches night club
The mob was protesting the death of a Pefferville woman, Nandipha Vaaltyn. She died on Tuesday, allegedly of a drug overdose while in the company of men drinking at the club.
Forensic officials on site estimated yesterday’s damage at R500000.
Police have opened an inquest docket into the 31-year-old woman’s death.
A meeting by a group of residents in Pefferville yesterday ended with them marching to the club, which is situated in St Pauls Road in Arcadia, just after 1pm.
A business owner in the area, who did not want to give his name, said he went to investigate when he heard angry people chanting outside the pub yesterday.
“They did not waste time; they all went in and started taking the alcohol out. Then they petrol-bombed the place. It was terrible, especially when they started fighting with the foreign nationals who were drinking at the place at the time.
“I fear people are still going to kill each other over this,” the business owner said.
When the Dispatch arrived at the scene yesterday, the club was on fire. Two municipal water trucks soon arrived and put out the flames.
The club manager, who declined to give his name, refused to be interviewed.
Members of the East London public order police and Buffalo City law enforcement officers evicted the angry crowd from the club and sealed off St Pauls Road to allow forensic investigators to work on the scene.
Police spokeswoman Lieutenant-Colonel Mtati Tana said no arrests had been made in connection with Vaaltyn’s death.
“She was found with foam substances in her mouth. She did not have visible injuries. We are hoping that the postmortem report will shed more light on her death,” Tana said.
Her cousin, Veronica Vaaltyn, believes she was drugged and later raped. Vaaltyn said her cousin had never visited the club before Tuesday.
“She was offered a lift by men at the beachfront. They took her there and drugged her; she never went there on her own.
“She was found outside the club on Tuesday at 11pm. She did not deserve to die that way, Vaaltyn said.”
Pefferville resident Hannah Arendse said the motive behind the march to California was to shut it down completely.
“This is not xenophobia, we have just had enough of the drugs that are destroying our children,” Arendse said.
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