Fire at Bubbles Garden in Harties 'racial spillover' – owner

Despite all efforts by owner Thabiso Mathibedi, his wife, and emergency services to stop the inferno, the fire ripped through the North West establishment, leaving behind a trail of damage estimated at R2 million.

However, Mathibedi believes the blaze was not an accident.

“Before this incident took place, we saw that there was a gentleman who would come in a small boat and dock the boat at my jetty. I reprimanded them and told them that we don’t allow fishing at our place. We only do boating,” he said.

He claims this happened on two previous occasions, and each time, the men would apologise and leave.

Mathibedi said he found this suspicious because the venue had been closed over winter.

On Monday, his wife and business partner were at the restaurant to do final checks as they prepared to open for business in the warmer months.

This, he said, is when she noticed that something was amiss.

“She wanted to charge her phone, but there was no electricity… she went to check in the main structure of the restaurant if there’s power. That’s when she noticed that there was an orange light protruding from inside.

“When she went to check, she noticed that it’s a fire, and that’s when she called me.”

Mathibedi said that while he thought it might have been a runaway fire when he arrived, he realised that only their structure was ablaze.

On Tuesday, forensic investigators combed the scene to probe what may have started the fire.

“After doing their preliminary investigation, it was established that this was a clear indication of an arson case,” lamented Mathibedi.

North West police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone confirmed this: “We can confirm that a case of arson has been opened. The incident occurred on Monday night, 19 August 2024. There's no arrest at this stage, and an investigation is underway.”

Mathibedi suspects the arsonists entered his property through the waterfront.

SIMMERING RACIAL TENSIONS

Mathibedi claimed the attack appears to be a culmination of brewing racial tensions, where black-owned businesses are the target.

The alleged racial tensions were raised with then Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu when he led centenary celebrations at the Hartbeespoort Dam last year. 

Mathibedi said this was not the first time his business was attacked.

“We’ve been a target of the town. Ever since the inception of us building the place, there’s always been rejection. I have been taken to court, ridiculed. The local newspaper has been against the establishment, and there is a clear agenda.”

In 2018, the Press Ombudsman ordered Kormorant to publish an apology to Mathibedi after it found that the publication had breached sections of the press code.

The Ombud found that the article titled “‘African Island’ Report for Schoemansville” was erroneously marked under the local news category instead of an opinion piece.

Mathibedi complained that the article was biased and inaccurate and gave the impression that he had illegally occupied the land. He also said it had a racist undertone.  

He argued that the article provoked resistance, and as soon as he began erecting fencing around his piece of land, he was dealt a blow when his property was vandalised.

 A case of malicious damage to property was registered with the police, but no arrests were ever made.

The publication sought to appeal the decision. However, it was upheld by the chair of the appeals panel, Judge Ngoepe, who said: “The Ombud was correct to say that a message was conveyed by both the first and a second story, that the respondent’s occupation of the property was illegal, or that it began working on the property without approval.

“Just a few further points: the inaccuracy in the report can therefore not be denied; reference to African Island did have some racial undertones, particularly given certain acknowledged racist segments in the area; the “opinion” was presented as news.  Again, it cannot be disputed that the respondent’s views were not sought as prescribed by Article 1.8 of the Code.  

“Serious harm was caused to Mr Mathibedi (the developer) as a result of the inaccurate story: damage to property, threats, harassment and financial loss.”

Mathibedi believes that it’s no coincidence that a similar open letter was published in the same publication about another black-owned business four days before his restaurant was attacked.

He said while he believes in creating a harmonious environment for businesses and residents, the rules and regulations should apply equally to everyone, not just a select few.

Kormorant had not responded to Jacaranda FM News’ questions at the time of publication.

Mathibedi said he’s often been accused of transgressing noise by-laws, even when he is not operating.

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