The Sunday News
Sunday News Reporter
THE owner of popular Plumtree restaurant and bar, Buy and Braai is reportedly wanted for questioning by police pertaining to illegal activities that have been taking place at the premises.
Justine Nkomo is said to have used the premise to convene illegal meetings and further it was used by political parties as a distribution point for their materials.
This is not the first time that he has been in trouble with authorities as in July he was also arrested and got away with a caution for convening illegal meetings at the restaurant.
In the latest developments, police sources revealed that Nkomo has since gone into hiding and is now wanted by the police after the illegal meetings comtinued despite numerous cautions from authorities.
Nkomo is believed to be a member of the opposition, although his close associates claimed he was not active in politics but would just entertain people who would be wanting to dine at his business premises.
In happier times: Justine Nkomo with his family
“We started receiving complaints relating to the illegal meetings being held at that restaurant in June, in July Nkomo was arrested and later released after two days in prison with a caution not to continue with these meetings.
“However, despite the cautions and constant raids by our officers the meetings seemed to escalate until a warrant of arrest was granted. However, efforts to bring him to book have hit a brick wall,” said the police source.
It is further reported that when police failed to locate Nkomo, his wife was arrested as she was deemed to be inhibiting an ongoing investigation.
“When police details went to his homestead in Plumtree they found his wife Opportunity Phelani Nyoni, who upon being asked refused to reveal the whereabouts of her husband which led her to be arrested for inhibiting a police investigation and was only released the following day with a caution,” said the source.
It has also emerged that Nyoni was detained with her toddler child.
To add on to the family’s woes their business premises was also recently burnt down by unknown assailants in a suspected arson attack.
The police however refused to comment on the attack.
“What happened is that after the bar had been forced by authorities to close early and the madam (Ms Nyoni) arrested, when we got her to open in the morning we found the place having been burnt down what surprises us is that no one alerted us that the premises is burning at all we saw it in the morning,” said one of the restaurant’s employees who declined to be named.
