Phoenix attorney in petrol bomb 'revenge attack'
"We believe someone is trying to hurt us"
Vanie Govender, a resident of Eastbury, said last Thursday’s “attack” was the second incident in the past few months.
Image: SAPS
A Phoenix attorney is living in fear of her life after a petrol bomb was allegedly thrown onto her property in a “revenge attack”.
Vanie Govender, a resident of Eastbury, said last Thursday’s “attack” was the second incident in the past few months. Her vehicle was gutted in this incident.
“In January, a petrol bomb was thrown onto my property, but thankfully my daughter was at my home at the time and heard the explosion. She managed to get help to quickly put the fire out. There was minimal damage to her vehicle. However, this time, my entire vehicle was burnt. Only the shell was left.”
Govender said her husband received a call that there was a fire on their property at about 1am.
“My husband was in hospital at the time as he had just undergone spinal surgery the previous day. I was staying with my daughter as I didn't want to be alone. I locked up that afternoon at 6pm and my daughter and I left for her place.
“He called me and said a neighbour contacted him and there was a fire at our home. My daughter and I rushed there and on our arrival, I felt my heart sink. My car was on fire. The flames were so high,” she said.
Govender said they waited helplessly for the fire brigade to arrive, as the area was experiencing water-shedding.
“From the afternoon our taps are often dry. This has been an ongoing issue, especially in the north of Durban for months, even years, in some areas. Even if there was any chance of saving my car, it would not have been possible without access to piped water. So, we just stood and watched helplessly. While I am grateful that no one was hurt or killed, it was devastating to watch our hard-earned belongings go up in flames.”
Govender said they were living in fear.
“This is not the first time, so we believe someone is trying to hurt us. My daughter and I are both attorneys and believe this could possibly be related to a case we have won. It seems the other party now has a vendetta and wants to take revenge. We are living in fear of our safety and hope the police can speed up its investigations and find out who is responsible for these attacks, before it is too late."
Colonel Robert Netshiunda, a provincial police spokesperson, said Phoenix police were investigating a case of malicious damage to property. He said the investigation was ongoing.