Former Orlando Pirates captain Lucky Lekgwathi has explained to Sunday World how distraught he was when his restaurant, Grootman, was hit by criminals once again.
On Tuesday night, Lekgwathi’s food joint was broken into by thieves who robbed staff of cash and their valuables, including cellphones. The incident happened at around 7pm.
Three men and a woman pretending to be customers entered the premises, pulled out guns and robbed staff members. Workers were forced to lie on the floor as the thieves helped themselves to cash, cellphones and other valuable things inside the shop. Lekgwathi has opened a case of robbery at the Booysens Police Station.
In July last year, Lekgwathi was a victim of the looting that affected mostly Gauteng and KZN provinces. His original Grootman franchise in Kliptown, Soweto was ransacked, vandalised and burnt to ashes during the lootings. He regrouped, pleaded for donations and financial assistance and in January, he unveiled his newly revamped shop, which he moved to Southdale in Booysens.
A clearly distraught Lekgwathi opened up to Sunday World.
“I left Kliptown because I thought it was safer in Southdale. I am happy that my staff were not harmed or hurt during the incident. I have opened a case with the police and I am confident that these criminals will be arrested. This is the second time such a bad thing is happening to my business. Last year, it was looted and they destroyed my place. Now they have taken all our daily cash in and robbed our staff,” said Lekgwathi.
Lekgwathi is still held in high esteem after he spent a trophy-laden 13 years at the Buccaneers, where he played more than 300 matches. He also played for Bafana Bafana and won 14 caps with the national team. He was a captain that was idolised by the younger generation and a player that gave his all to the Buccaneers.
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