Businessman offers to pay injured stadium guard's salary for a year
Image: Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images
Good Samaritans do exist. A Johannesburg businessman has offered to pay security guard Sabela Maziba - who was savagely assaulted during the soccer violence at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday - his year's salary.
Blaine Josephs‚ founder of the Billion Forex Group‚ decided to make the magnanimous gesture after he saw an image of the helpless security guard being beaten with chairs‚ punched and booted by angry fans‚ following Kaizer Chiefs' loss to Free State Stars in the semi-final of the Nedbank Cup challenge.
Maziba was named by PSL chairman Irvin Khoza at a press briefing on Monday. He said the guard had been treated for head injuries and discharged from hospital.
Josephs‚ who has been searching for the injured guard since the violent pitch invasion‚ took to social media in the hope of finding him.
The Maritzburg United fan told TimesLive that his search had not yet been successful and that he had retained a private investigator to track him down.
“I’ve been on the phone the entire morning trying to find him. When I saw the pictures on Twitter on Sunday morning‚ I thought to myself 'no human being should go to work and be assaulted like that'.
“I’m sure in a perfect world‚ he would have loved to stay home with his family on a Saturday night. He went to work to feed his family and that had to happen to him.
“It’s unacceptable. What makes it worse is that this gentleman is probably a breadwinner and will have to return to work as soon as he is healed.
“That in itself is traumatic.”
A security guard is reportedly fighting for his life after being badly injured when Kaizer Chiefs fans rioted after the loss to Free State Stars at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday night. Chiefs coach Steve Komphela resigned in the aftermath of the violence. Subscribe to TimesLIVE here: https://www.youtube.com/user/TimesLive
Josephs said he is hoping to track him down within the next few days.
“I’m hoping I can find him within the next few days so that I fly down to Durban and meet with him.
“Whatever he was getting at his company‚ I would match that.”
While he did not know the exact amount‚ he had a guesstimate amount in his head‚ saying “I wouldn’t be expecting him to be earning R1‚500 a month‚ I (am thinking I) would pay around R5‚000 a month.”
Josephs indicated he was not in a position to put the security guard on his company payroll on a permanent basis.
“I don’t have a job for him. I can only hope that something good will come out of this for him.”
Josephs said he was not comfortable about going public with the gesture. “But the only way I could reach out to him was through social media.”
“For me it’s not about the money‚ it’s about helping someone in need‚” he said.
Meanwhile‚ other offers of help are also coming in for Maziba. Media and marketing specialist Patrick Conroy tweeted he had written to stadium management on Monday morning‚ advising that he would contribute R10‚000 towards Maziba's medical bills.
