Johannesburg - The case of sexual harassment against an alleged Nigerian slumlord in Primrose, Germiston, has been postponed to March 9.
Tony Kadzadi was arrested last month after ActionSA in Ekurhuleni received a complaint from a community member, Patricia Khoza, accusing Kadzadi of having hijacked a building she is the tenant of in Primrose, Ekurhuleni.
Khoza further alleged that Kadzadi had extorted money from the tenants of the building, who are now based in Lebanon.
On Thursday, members of ActionSA gathered and picketed outside the Germiston Magistrate's Court in support of one of their members, Khoza, who told “The Star” that her fight with Kadzadi stems from her having taken up a separate matter involving the alleged rape of one of the occupants, who was sexually molested by one of Kadzadi’s friends who has since fled the country.
Members of the party said they were disappointed that the accused was granted a bail extension despite being in South Africa illegally, being accused of alleged property hijacking, and being a serial offender of the law.
Khoza, who continues to stay in the same building with the accused, said she will not stop fighting for what is right for law-abiding citizens and will not be intimidated.
“Even though he is my landlord, we are not on good terms, and we have not been on good terms since I took up the issues of a girl child who was allegedly raped by Kadzadi’s friend. Since then, we have not been on good terms. I have more than three court orders against him and even reported the case to Childline, but he told me that he has friends in high places and the case will not go anywhere. He continues to collect money from tenants but fails to pay for services. I will not stop fighting for the rights of those he thinks he can buy with money,” Khoza said.
ActionSA regional chairperson Ramosele Sethibe said the party had joined in to ensure that Khoza is protected because they were concerned about how the case has been handled.
“We are extremely disappointed by how the case is being handled and the fact that the accused has been given a bail extension. We suspect that nefarious forces have attempted to protect the accused and his activities. Our concerns are exacerbated by the fact that Ms Khoza was arrested after laying her complaint about her building being hijacked. This arose as a result of Kadzadi laying a complaint of illegal entry against her despite the fact that he was the one who illegally hijacked the building," Sethibe said.
“Despite not having any home affairs documents to reside in South Africa and facing three charges, including theft of property and sexual assault, Kadzadi was released on bail two weeks ago. Not only is he a flight risk, but he also poses a threat to the complainants in these matters. This is unacceptable,” Sethibe added.
Last month, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) agreed to investigate the matter.
The Star