Publication: The Mercury Issued: Date: 2005-08-25 Reporter: Carvin Goldstone Reporter: Tania Broughton

Blaze in Flat Under Investigation

 

Publication 

The Mercury
Date 2005-08-25

Reporter

 Carvin Goldstone,
Tania Broughton

Web Link

www.themercury.co.za

 

Police are investigating a case of arson after fire destroyed a luxury penthouse flat in Marine Parade in Durban, belonging to Schabir Shaik, yesterday.

After spending hours investigating the Yarningdale flat and assessing the damage caused by the early morning fire, arson experts emerged tight-lipped.

Forensics experts also brought in two police sniffer dogs to assist with investigations.

One expert, who had spent hours in the flat, said that the main investigation into the cause of the fire would begin only today.

He said yesterday had been used largely to assess damage to the flat.

The expert said that the fire had been confined to two rooms in the three-bedroom penthouse.

A police spokeswoman, Sen Supt Phindile Radebe, said the fire broke out at 1.40am.

"The fire caused extensive damage to two bedrooms while the rest of the house was affected by soot and water.

"The damage to the flat is estimated at approximately R2 million at this stage," she said.

Shaik, his wife, Zuleikha, and two domestic workers were apparently asleep in the flat when the fire broke out.

No injuries were reported yesterday, but Shaik, his wife and the domestic workers suffered slight smoke inhalation and were taken to hospital.

Shaik could not be contacted for comment on the incident despite several attempts, but his brother Mo Shaik said his brother had had to be nebulised twice. He said his brother needed rest and the last thing he needed was to be interviewed.

Andrew Gordon, a resident on the 13th floor of the building, said he was asleep when he smelt smoke and thought he had been dreaming.

"It was only when the firemen banged on my door screaming, 'Fire! Fire!' that I woke up and realised the building was on fire," he said.

Gordon, who was friendly with the Shaiks, said the entire building was evacuated. "There were fire engines and emergency services all along the road and, when we looked up, we could see the flames leaping from the flat."

Radebe said although a case of arson was being investigated by Durban Central Detective Services, the cause of the fire was still unknown.

eThekwini Fire and Emergency Services' Manager of Fire Safety, Jim Wichstrom, said his department had conducted the preliminary investigation but had not yet found the cause of the fire.

He said he was now awaiting the police forensics team's report.

"If the police establish the scene as a crime scene, then they would take over the investigation and we would not assist," he said.

Mo Shaik said he had no doubt that the forensics experts would want to speak to Schabir today.

He told The Mercury that Shaik and his wife, Zuleikha, were both still in shock after last night's events.

He confirmed that the fire had broken out just before 2am and had apparently started on the balcony *1, which contained only plastic chairs and tables.

"Schabir woke up and tried to put the fire out, but it spread really quickly into two of the three bedrooms. There was extensive soot and water damage." He said his brother had become a light sleeper because of anxiety.

"What was disturbing is that the fire hydrant on their floor had a faulty valve and we believe that that is also under investigation."

He said that because the flat had been declared a "crime scene" and arson investigators had been brought in, his brother and sister-in-law did not have access to it.

"I think, given my brother's high profile and the recent raids, the police want to ensure that this was not a malicious act."

Referring to the possibility that the fire might have been deliberately started and his brother was a target, he said: "There is no doubt that the case has flamed emotions *2 on all sides . . . I just hope that South Africans are not capable of such things.

"This is just one more hassle that we don't need . . . this is the second time in less than a week that there has been a disruption to the appeals process.

"We have to lodge papers within days and, with last week's Scorpions raids and now this, it is the second time we have had to take time off from preparing."

Schaik, who has been convicted of two counts of corruption and one of fraud relating to a corrupt relationship Durban High Court Judge Hilary Squires found he had with sacked deputy president Jacob Zuma, was only granted leave to appeal against two of the convictions.

He has to lodge papers petitioning the president of the Supreme Court of Appeals for leave to appeal against the main corruption count by early next week, or he will have to begin serving his 15-year prison sentence.


*1  And a Mr Molotov was believed to have been seen rapidly departing from the scene of the incident, which is 13 floors above street level.

Such a strong throwing arm would prove that Mr Molotov was at one time a handgrenade thrower on the eastern front - or a thirdman fielder in disguise.

*2  Surely the analogy was figurative?