MULTI-MILLIONAIRE businessman Simon Rudland, whose $5
million injection into Dynamos at the beginning of the year provided a kiss of
life for the Glamour Boys, was shot and seriously wounded in an assassination
attempt in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning.
Two assassins are reported to have pumped nine bullets into
the car in which Rudland and his lawyer were travelling in, with the
businessman being hit in the neck and rushed to hospital where, according to
reports from South Africa, he remains in a critical condition.
In what is being described in the South African media as a
hit, in a country and city with a shockingly high homicide rate, two men in a
white Golf GTI pulled behind the car in which Rudland and his lawyer were in,
parked outside the Fair Trade Tobacco Association offices in the plush Norwood
area of Johannesburg.
CCTV images show the Porsche Boxster in which Rudland and
his lawyer were travelling in, coming in to park in front of the FITA offices
ahead of a scheduled meeting for members of the organisation.
Then, a white Golf GTI pulls behind the Porsche and shots
are fired before the attackers drive off the scene.
The Porsche is then reversed and speeds away to hospital
where Rudland, who is a member of FITA, was admitted and is said to be in a
critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Rudland, with interests in tobacco through the Golden Leaf
Tobacco and R&G cigarettes, the brand he used to tie a five-year
sponsorship deal with Dynamos as the flagship sponsor of the country’s biggest
football club, is considered one of the richest Zimbabweans.
His net worth, according to reports, is around US$98
million, while his brother Hamish is reported to be worth around US$250 million
in a multi-millionaire league led by billionaire businessman Strive Masiyiwa,
with an estimated US$2,5 billion.
Norton legislator Temba Mliswa, tweeted the news about the
attack.
“Have just heard that Simon Rudland was nearly assassinated
by some gunman in South Africa,’’ Mliswa, who had a short stint as Dynamos
chairman and worked as a fitness coach for the Warriors and the Sables,
tweeted.
“Grateful that he is now out of danger. Wish him speedy
recovery, a good friend and brother.’’
FITA chairperson Sinenhlanhla Mnguni confirmed the shooting
to News24 and other South African media outlets on Thursday.
“It comes as a shock to all of us,” Mnguni said. “At this
stage police are investigating. This is something we take seriously.
“We have to allow Mr Rudland to recover.” Mnguni said he was not aware of any threats Rudland could
have received prior to the incident.
“Our priority now is to ensure that Mr Rudland is safe.”
FITA released a preliminary statement confirming, “the
occurrence of an incident outside our offices yesterday. In this regard, FITA
will issue a statement during the course of today.
“We further confirm that members of the SAPS attended at
our offices for purposes of conducting their investigations and they were inter
alia handed CCTV footage of the aforementioned incident.
“There will be no further comment on this issue for now and
we ask that the SAPS be allowed to conduct their investigations.’’
Different South African media outlets reported that two
assailants in the white Golf GTI waited in ambush at the offices of FITA in
Norwood.
When Rudland and his lawyer arrived for a FITA meeting,
nine shots were fired from handguns, targeting Rudland’s head area.
One bullet is said to have struck him in the neck. This was corroborated by the images captured by CCTV.
The Citizen newspaper said footage of the shooting was sent
to their offices yesterday.
“Simon Rudland, co-owner of the Gold Leaf Tobacco
Corporation and a member of the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association, was
seriously injured in an apparent assassination attempt in Johannesburg on
Wednesday morning,’’ the newspaper said.
“The footage was sent to The Citizen on Thursday morning.
You can see the Porsche Boxster Rudland was travelling in pull up and then the
white VW Golf GTI with the suspects arrive behind him.
“After the shooting, he immediately made his way to
hospital.’’
Rudland’s company came to Dynamos’ rescue at a time the
Glamour Boys were facing a severe financial crisis with Rudland and George, a
subsidiary of Gold Leaf Tobacco, unveiling the sponsorship package worth $1
million a year for five years and subject to an increase in the financial
outlay.
Gold Leaf Tobacco Zimbabwe were represented by one of their
executives, Lovejoy Bamala and Hannah Rudland, who is the company’s marketing
and sales manager.
DeMbare chairman Isaiah Mupfurutsa described the
sponsorship package as a momentous occasion in the history of the country’s
biggest football club.
“We are confident Dynamos can reclaim its status as one of
the best clubs on the continent.
“But to achieve that, Dynamos will need to reinvent itself
and take a completely new trajectory,’’ Mupfurutsa said.
“Today we are glad to announce that DeMbare have found a
big partner to walk with in this new journey. A journey that we believe will
take us back to the African safari in the not too distant future.
“Dynamos have not won the Premier Soccer League title since
2014. We have now gone for four seasons without laying our hands on that
important silverware. Herald
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