Man arrested for allegedly attacking former son-in-law with panga

A man is facing a charge of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after allegedly attacking his son-in-law with a machete at the Mugg & Bean.

The attack happened in front of shoppers and patrons at the eatery in the Bedford Centre in the east of Johannesburg on Wednesday.

A video, published by eNCA, shows a man cradling his injured hand, which appears to be missing a digit.

“We don’t know why the attack happened. The 45-year-old victim sustained head injuries and was taken to Union hospital. The victim is stable‚” said Bedfordview police spokesperson Captain Andre de Jager.

Police had earlier in the day responded to a complaint of intimidation against one of the men.

The owner of the eatery told eNCA that the two men were patrons who became embroiled in an argument. “It quickly got out of hand and we called for security. One of the men pulled out a panga‚” he said.

Bedford management thanked paramedics‚ police and tenants who helped during the incident.

“We can confirm that a man has been arrested after he used a panga to attack another man at Bedford‚” said the centre in a tweet. “Should you require any trauma counselling‚ please contact Bedford Centre management.”