The Mercury
Craigh Botha had emergency surgery after being shot in the stomach. His former wife, Cindy, says he’s in a lot of pain.
Durban – A Durban man is fighting for his life after he was shot at a popular nightclub, allegedly by one of the club’s bouncers, at the weekend.
Craigh Botha, 38, a Nike South Africa store manager, underwent emergency surgery in the hours following the shooting and was expected to recover, his former wife, Cindy, 37, said.
But, with the suspected shooter still on the loose, Cindy feared for her safety and that of their seven-year-old daughter.
“We’re scared he will come after us,” she told The Mercury on Monday.
Botha and Cindy were in the VIP section of Rocca Bar in Morningside on Saturday night when Botha became involved in an altercation with one of the club’s bouncers.
Cindy rubbished rumours, circulating on Facebook, suggesting the altercation started after Botha became aggressive towards her, calling them “absolute nonsense”.
He was about to be escorted out of the club, she said, when another bouncer intervened.
An argument ensued and Botha punched the second bouncer. The two wrestled and the bouncer fell back on to a couch.
“Then he just took out a gun and shot Craigh in the stomach,” Cindy said.
The bouncer “calmly” replaced the gun and left the club.
Cindy commended the club’s quick response and said a member of the management team applied pressure to Botha’s wound for 45 minutes, while they waited for an ambulance to arrive.
When the ambulance did arrive, it took paramedics half an hour to stabilise Botha. He was then taken to hospital where he had a four-hour operation to remove his gall bladder and part of his colon.
“His liver was also damaged,” Cindy said.
Botha was conscious but remained in intensive care on Monday.
“He is in a lot of pain and can’t eat any solids yet,” Cindy said. “He might have to have another operation in a few days.”
Cindy said she was “disgusted” by the incident.
“Bouncers are there for a reason and if there is a problem with a patron then they should remove him from the club,” she said,
“They can’t just shoot him.”
Attempts to reach Rocca Bar’s management team were unsuccessful on Monday.
However, the club posted a statement on its Facebook page calling the shooting “unfortunate” and saying it did not want to comment any further since the investigation was ongoing. The club wished Botha a speedy recovery and assured patrons their safety was its “first priority”.
Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said police were investigating a case of attempted murder, and confirmed that no arrest had been made on Monday.
The Mercury
