Father cries for help as Drug Dealers demand cash from son
A small time drug pusher has put his life and his father’s in danger because of a P7000 debt he owes to his ruthless narcotics suppliers.
This came to light when the distressed father of the 22-year old young man who has since fled the capital city approached The Voice to plead for help after the angry drug dealers burnt his shack down in Old Naledi early this week.
The arson was apparently meant to send a strong message that should the young man fail to pay, something more sinister was going to happen to the family.
Pleading for help, the worried father, Edward Tebogo Richard, 46, said that the arson was not the first attempt on his son’s life since he was kidnapped and brutally assaulted last year in December by the same drug dealers.
“These men are demanding P7000 from us and it appears that they are dealing in cat.(methcathinone) I gave them all the money that I had, which was P500 because I am also broke. I then pleaded with them to be patient with him as we try and map out a plan to settle the rest of the debt.” he said
Richard explained that his son came into possession of the drugs from a friend who gave them to the young man for safe keeping during a police raid in shanty town of Old Naledi.
“It appears that upon receipt, my son either used some or sold some for himself and now he owes the owner and our lives are in danger.”
Narrating the arson ordeal, Richard said that on Monday, April, 3rd at around 11pm, their rented shack located in Old Naledi was set ablaze.
Allegedly two men went to their residence looking for his 22-year-old son but did not find him.
“I was not home when this happened but these men found a tenant who told them that she didn’t know my son and that she had never met him since she moved into our compound in January. She told them that she only heard of him but he had not met or seen him,” said Richard
Apparently, the angry duo became rowdy and accused the woman of working jointly with the family to hide the young man who is currently in hiding somewhere far out of town.
Moments later, it is said that the duo kicked open the one-bedroom door and threw a hand-made petrol bomb inside.
At the time of the incident, the wanted man’s 16-year-old brother was inside the house but escaped by a whisker.
“Fortunately, when he heard an explosive sound my youngest son ran outside the house only to discover that the house was in flames when he looked behind,” said the devastated father.
“Everything was burnt down and nothing was salvaged, however my neighbours who came to the rescue did their best to put out the fire,” he stated.
Meanwhile Old Naledi police station commander, Nelson Selabe confirmed in a telephonic interview that on the early morning of April 4th, police received a report that a steel structure that appeared to be a store room was on fire in Old Naledi.
“Investigations are still ongoing to establish the cause of the fire,” said Selabe
“Please help me pay this debt before these criminals can hurt my family,” said the terrified father who is even scared to set the police on the drug dealers pursuit in fear of being killed.
