By Phumlani Saul
Owner shot in Despatch as heavily armed robbery gang hits busy drinking spot..
A group of heavily armed men opened fire outside a crowded Despatch tavern early on Sunday, forcing patrons to duck for cover, with the owner shot in the leg later.
The 15 men arrived at Ace’s Tavern in Kingstown in a Quantum taxi at about 3.30am, fired several shots outside and then a few more inside the premises.
They made off with R6,000 in cash, alcohol worth R30,000 and several cellphones.The brazen robbery was one of the latest in a flurry of tavern shootings in SA, after the massacre earlier in July in which 15 people were killed and eight wounded at Mdlalose’s Tavern in Soweto.
Several other tavern shootings have also thrust SA’s sky-high crime rate into the spotlight again, with an uptick in violent deaths.
Ace’s Tavern owner, Ayanda “Ace” Kakaza, 34, said he was asleep in his bedroom adjacent to the establishment when he was woken up by the sound of gunfire.
Before he could get dressed, and just seconds before the gun-wielding men barged into his room and dragged him into the tavern, he was hit in the leg by a bullet.
About 50 patrons had been drinking and playing pool just before the 15-minute robbery started.
A customer, who declined to be named, said he was playing pool when the men arrived.
“They fired shots outside and came in, ordering all of us to lie down. Some then went to the owner’s room,” he said.
“When they were dragging him out of his room and into the tavern, we all kept still on the floor as they flashed their guns around.”
Bleeding and confused, Kakaza was insulted by the men as they dragged him to the tavern’s counter and demanded money.
The other men forced the patrons to hand over their cellphones.
“The minute I heard the gunshots, I panicked and immediately reached for the [electrical circuit panel] in my room,” Kakaza said.
“I turned off the main switch and the tavern became dark.
“Just as I was about to go outside, some of these men were already banging on my door, ordering me to come outside.
“I tried to hide next to my bed but they shot me.”
Kakaza said the men demanded money but he had to explain they had already bought new stock.
“They then dragged me to the counter to get what money was left,” he said.
Kakaza said the cashier handed over the R6,000 wrapped in a black plastic bag.
The men then emptied his shelves, taking bottles of cognac, whiskey and gin.
“After I gave them the money, I tried to lock myself behind the counter but one of them pointed the gun at me.”
Two bullets narrowly missed Kakaza’s head — hitting the wall behind him.
Angered by Kakaza’s attempt to lock himself behind the counter, one of the robbers hit the owner’s head against a glass fridge door, which shattered.
Bafundi Jini, 30, who was playing music in the DJ booth just before the robbery took place, said some of the assailants also stole sound equipment.
“When they got to the DJ booth, they forced me to lie down and took everything.
“After taking the equipment, they took one of the cars that was parked outside.”
Jini said all the men were armed with firearms.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu confirmed the robbery but said only five men had stormed the tavern.
“An e-hailing driver parked opposite the road was thrown out of his Toyota Corolla.
“[Some of the] suspects got into the car and drove away.”
Daily Kasi News 