Brett Kebble’s car was placed under a plastic cover and bore the message ”Do Not Touch. Investigation” when it was stored at the premises of Danmar Autobody for nearly a week after the murder of the mining magnate.
This is according to the panel-beating company, which denied a report that the vehicle was cleaned on the company’s property within hours of the murder, erasing crucial forensic and ballistic evidence.
”During this period [September 28 to October 4 2005] the car was neither cleaned nor handled in any way by Danmar or its employees,” read a statement issued on Friday.
However, Danmar admitted that its managing director Mark Groenewald was the brother-in-law of bouncer Mickey Schultz. Schultz, along with Nigel McGurk, was ”said to hold the key to who ordered the killing”, according to a report in the Sunday Times.
In its release, Danmar further denied that Kebble’s former security chief Clinton Nassif was a part-owner of the company.
It placed on record the following sequence of events:
The morning after the murder, Nassif contacted Groenewald to collect Kebble’s car from the police’s serious and violent crimes unit in Wynberg and to arrange for the vehicle’s release with police officer Henry Beukes.
Nassif then phoned Groenewald again with an instruction to valet the vehicle because Kebble’s father, Roger, wished to inspect it.
”Groenewald advised Nassif that before he could execute this request, he would require the instructions of the insurer of the vehicle, who would in all probability require to inspect the vehicle before the valet could be authorised.”
Danmar said the insurers instructed Groenewald that the company should not touch or deal with the vehicle in any way as they had not as yet received any claim details.
”Danmar carried out this instruction, and in addition, as was the common practice, took photographs of the vehicle, for record purposes.
”Moreover, the vehicle was placed under a plastic cover, and no employee or member of Danmar was authorised to deal therewith. Instructions were placed on the vehicle with a marking pen, bearing the words ‘Do not touch. Investigation’.”
JJ Towing had, meanwhile, taken the car to Danmar from the police depot on the afternoon of September 28.
The panel-beating company noted that from a cursory inspection of the vehicle, ”it was clearly apparent that certain police work had already been undertaken thereon before arrival at Danmar’s premises”.
”As evidenced from the photograph taken on the night Mr Kebble was killed and which appeared in The Star on November 23 2006, the vehicle was first towed on a police low-bed tow vehicle.”
While the car was at its premises it was neither cleaned nor handled in any way by Danmar or its employees, the company said.
The company said that on October 4 last year it refused to release the car to the Nassif’s Central National Security Group, on the grounds of conflicting requests from parties representing Kebble’s family.
”After securing advice from the National Prosecuting Authority, the vehicle was released to Captain Johan Diedericks and other representatives of the South African Police Service in Pretoria.”
Four months later, Danmar once again received the vehicle on the instructions of the insurer so that repairs could be done to it.
”The return of the vehicle was accompanied by a tax invoice from Giulio Sabbatino Auto Stylists,” read the release.
”A number of services were apparently rendered by them, including towing, storage for 81 days, removal of blood stains and administration costs.
”This invoice was paid by Danmar.” — Sapa