The man who killed Teazers boss Lolly Jackson wanted to hand himself over to the police, but then disappeared, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.
“There was a call from a man [directly after the shooting] who said he wanted to hand himself over, but he did not do it,” said Colonel Eugene Opperman.
The caller gave the police the address of the Kempton Park house where Jackson’s body was found in a pool of blood.
“When the police got there, they found the body … the man had disappeared,” said Opperman. “We are searching for him.”
Ekurhuleni police spokesperson Sergeant Tsholofelo Madumo said Jackson sustained 15 gunshot wounds at his friend’s house on Monday.
Beeld newspaper reported that the house was registered in the name of Georgios Toumbis, who put the phone down when telephoned by a journalist.
Clubs closed
Teazers clubs across the country were closed on Tuesday.
“Due to respect to family and staff of Lolly Jackson and Teazers, all Teazers will be closed today [Tuesday],” read a notice posted on the door of club in Rivonia.
Bouquets of yellow and red roses were laid next to the door in honour of Jackson.
Teazers spokesperson Sean Newman told reporters at the scene of the shooting that Jackson “was a great man with a big heart who gave to charity”.
Jackson was no stranger to controversy. His love of fast cars landed him in trouble with the law in 2005 when he was caught driving at 249km/h in a Lamborghini. He said he had been on his way to church.
His murder comes just 37 days before the Soccer World Cup kicks off in South Africa and has again put spotlight on the country’s violent crime rates, among the highest in the world. About 50 murders are committed each day, a slightly more than in the United States, which has a population six times larger South Africa’s 50 million people.
Two years ago Jackson was cleared of fraud and immigration contraventions and last year he pleaded guilty to assaulting a former employee.
In April he appeared in court on charges of extortion, kidnapping, intimidation and assault. The case related to a fight with a former stripper and Teazers’ dancer. – Reuters and Sapa