Drag racing assault suspects identified

POLICE have identified five suspects believed to have assaulted a 33-year-old man who drove into the path of a street race along Umgeni Road two weeks ago.

However, police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane would not divulge how they were identified, as it would hamper the case, but said warning statements had been taken.

“They were not detained, but warning statements were taken. The docket has been handed to the senior public prosecutor to decide whether to prosecute,” Zwane told Post.

A video recording of a group of men beating the Chatsworth father at the Engen Garage on Umgeni Road, near Makro, went viral shortly after he allegedly inadvertently found himself in the middle of a street race.

Kuban Pather, who works for the eThekwini Municipality as a small plant mechanic, said he failed to stop at the red traffic light because of security reasons.

When he returned to the garage, a mob pounced on him.

Since then there have been widespread calls by drag racing enthusiasts for the municipality to cater for their needs by building a circuit for them to race legally.

This week, Pather said he was recovering from his injuries but was getting upset by colleagues continuously questioning him about the incident.

“I broke down on Monday afternoon because I couldn’t handle the questioning by people. I’ve got nothing against drag racing. In my younger days, I drag raced. But my mom had posed a question to me back then. She said I must either choose drag racing or her. I sold my car and never raced again.”

He said he had no qualms about the sport.

“If it is done in a safe environment, I am all for it.”

Pather said those who wanted to race spent an exorbitant amount of money to modify their cars and questioned why they could not spend money to legally enter a race.