‘He said the dog should bite this ‘ka#@*r’

A Namibian national Veneruru Kavari (30) alleges he was assaulted and subjected to racial abuse by his South African employer in the Limpopo province last week.

Polokwane provincial police spokesperson colonel Malesela Ledwaba of the South African Police Service said Kavari was assaulted by Piet Groenewald (63) and his son at Stephen Groenewald (27) at Groblersdal, a farming town in the Limpopo province, where Kavari worked for them as a security guard.

The two appeared in the Groblersdal Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for a bail hearing after they were remanded in custody when they made their first appearance last Friday.

South African media reported yesterday that the matter was postponed to next Wednesday for the continuation of the bail hearing.

After the assault, Groenewald allegedly told his son Stephan to unleash the dog on Kavari.

The two were charged with assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Before the attack, Kavari’s supervisor, who visited him at the site, accused him of being intoxicated while on duty.

“He allegedly accused the victim of being intoxicated while on duty, and as a result, drove with him to Groblersdal in the Limpopo province to discuss the matter with the manager. Upon arrival, the two got into an argument that resulted in the manager hitting the victim with a hard object,” Ledwaba said.

Kavari claims his boss then told his son, Stephan, to set a dog on him, using the term ka#@*r, derogatory and racist.

After the assault, Kavari filed a police report, leading to the arrest of both Groenewald and his son Stephan on charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Kavari also claims he was detained for three days on suspicion of property damage, but was later released. He denied damaging any property at a network tower battery site at Kwaggafontein, Mpumalanga, where he was posted.

Speaking to The Namibian yesterday from South Africa, Kavari, who until the attack was working for Groenewald’s company Wildlife Investigation and Protection Services (Wips), says he had not signed an employment contract despite requesting one.

He said he worked for Wips for seven days.

He alleged Groenewald promised to pay him N$300 per day.

Kavari said three days before his employer attacked him with a hard object, he requested to sign the employment contract, but Groenewald allegedly ignored him.

“The day I was attacked, Groenewald asked me why I was drunk on duty. I told him I was not drunk, then he started beating me. Later on, he told his son to get the dog so it bites me. He said bring the dog so it bites this ka#@*r,” Kavari recounted.

He said he has since left the job and is now at home.

TimesLive reported yesterday that the African National Congress (ANC) regional spokesperson Sam Uwane said they viewed the incident as a racist attack, noting that Groblersdal was notorious for racial incidents.