Court rules in favour of shopowner

ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za

THE supermarket owner from Hammanskraal whose entire stock was removed from his shop more than two weeks ago is hoping to get it back soon after the court yesterday ordered that the sheriff, with the assistance of the police, had to fetch it and return it to him.

Muhammad Hameed, who owns Majeneng Supermarket (a franchise of Save Rite) earlier said in a statement before the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria that his entire stock, fittings as well as cash, were removed from his shop by a group of men. They loaded it into trucks over about two days and took it to an undisclosed destination.

He estimated that about R10 million worth of goods were taken.

Hameed said attorney Phetogo Molati was at the centre of the unlawful seizure of his property. The court two weeks ago ordered her to immediately return the goods or to divulge its whereabouts to the sheriff so that it could be returned.

But Molati, who worked at the Temba-based law firm Molati, said she had nothing to do with the goods being taken, nor did she know where the goods were. She said she simply supervised the process on the instruction of the Master of the High Court, who was handling the estate of a deceased former worker at the supermarket.

She claimed Hameed and the deceased went into a partnership and that he owed her estate money.

Hameed was back in court this week with a contempt of court application and wanted Molati to be committed to jail.

It meanwhile came to light via two witnesses that the goods were kept at a premises in Hammanskraal.

The judge remarked that he hoped this matter could now resolve itself without further litigation.