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Cassim's June 26 testimony

MR CASSIM: Regarding memorabilias of Liverpool Football Club I have in my shop photos of the entire Liverpool team signed by every player. I have a T-shirt signed by the 1991 Liverpool team that won the double. I have a soccer ball signed by the Liverpool team. I have two other T-shirts that was given to a friend of mine, Amid, which is presently in my shop, signed by the entire Liverpool team.

MR WITZ: And these have all been framed and you display these openly. That is your love and your passion for the game as well as your support of Liverpool, is that correct?

MR CASSIM: Correct.

MR WITZ: Now leaving the soccer aside I'd like you to just turn and deal further with your introduction to cricket, in particular the Indian cricketers and the captain of the Indian, Mr Kapil Dev. Tell the Commissioner how did this happen and in what circumstances. You can deal with it in your statement, please.

MR CASSIM: MY INTRODUCTION TO CRICKET AND IN PARTICULAR THE INDIAN CRICKETERS AND THE CAPTAIN OF THE INDIAN CRICKET KAPIL DEV. 5.1 In 1993, after the international sports boycott and isolation had been lifted the Indian side came to South Africa to play against South Africa. 5.2 My sister-in-law had met Dr Ali Irani, the physiotherapist of the Indian Cricket Team while they were in Zimbabwe shortly before coming to South Africa. 5.3 I went to fetch my children at one of the earlier games that the Indian team played in Springs and I was thereafter introduced to Dr Irani by my sister-in-law. 5.4 During the course of the conversation he told me that he himself, and the Indian cricket team were staying at the Sandton Sun and he invited me there that evening. 5.5 I went to the Sandton Sun Hotel where I gave Dr Irani some bandages which I had obtained from the pharmacy and while talking to him, Kapil Dev came into Dr Irani's room and I was introduced to him. 5.6 Kapil Dev wanted to go out that evening with Dr Irani who told him that he was busy and it was eventually arranged that I would take him. Myself and Kapil Dev went out that evening for dinner and I also showed him various parts of Johannesburg and we thereafter struck up a relationship and in fact became very good friends. He invited me to Bloemfontein to watch one of the cricket games".

MR WITZ: Now Mr Cassim I'd like you to tell the Commissioner, this is really your first experience in meeting an international cricket player and in particular a cricket player of that calibre. Where did you take him to and how did this affect you?

MR CASSIM: When I was introduced to Mr Kapil Dev, when he walked into the room I was sitting there on the bed with Dr Ali Irani and he walked in and I looked at him. I said this is the Mr Kapil Dev that the world is talking about. But when Dr Ali Irani introduced me to Kapil Dev and when we struck up this relationship and I took him out that evening, we went for dinner, I took him to Hillbrow Pharmacy, and when I walked with him in Hillbrow Pharmacy the people looked at it as if I was the hero walking in there, when in fact Kapil was there. And people could not believe that I, a person of my calibre, brought Kapil Dev to Hillbrow Pharmacy. I took him to my family members and a brother of mine just could not believe that he met Kapil. He was a keen cricketer lover from those days, and when I introduced him to Mr Kapil Dev he was shocked.

MR WITZ: Now Mr Cassim I think in particular, and I think this will be common cause, when the Indian cricket team toured South Africa as well as when the Pakistan cricket team toured South Africa you took the two cricket teams to family for dinner here in Cape Town, in Kenwyn, to your family, as well as in Johannesburg. Just tell the Commissioner very, very briefly in this regard what affect did this have on you first of all as well as your family. And in particular if you can tell us as well what happened when you sent Kapil Dev, Mr Kapil Dev into your family shop here in Cape Town.

MR CASSIM: Mr Commissioner I would arrange for the Indian cricket team when they were out down here in South Africa to have a meal at my brother's place in Johannesburg. The entire team would practically come for the - they used to love their vegetarian food. Most of them were not meat eaters so they used to enjoy vegetarian food and I would ask my sister-in-law to prepare the meals for them. But when I took them there I would invite all my friends to come to the house and meet the players because, I mean very seldom do you get to players of this calibre, close to players of this calibre. And what it has done to me it is unreal. The players, the relationship I formed with these players is something I can't express really. When they used to travel to play in places like Cape Town, I had two nieces down here in Cape Town. In actual fact I am going to make a joke out of this, they used to call me "Panic Mechanic", because I used to call them over 20 times to 30 times, "make sure you've got enough food - please do this, please do that and...." they used to say, they call me Hamid, "Hamid stop panicking, you're becoming a panic mechanic now". While we were in Cape Town I toured once with the Indian cricket team, I flew down to Cape Town, and myself and Kapil went for a drive. A nephew of mine's got a shop up in Balmoral, they stay open till night, and I told Kapil, "do me a favour, go in the shop and buy something, let's see if they'll recognise you". And as a sport Kapil played along. He walked into the shop, bought something, and the guy said to him, "but I know you, you are Mr Kapil Dev", and he said "ja". So he said "with who are you here?". So he says, "well I was just sent in by your uncle here to come and buy a drink".

MR WITZ: Now what I'd like you to just deal with from thereafter, you have kept in regular contact with Mr Kapil Dev, is that correct, as well as many of the other international players from both the Indian team, the Pakistani team as well as the South African team?

MR CASSIM: That's correct.

MR WITZ: Now I'd like you to just deal with your statement and I'd like you to deal with the time period 1993 when Mr Kapil Dev invited you to attend a game in India. Just tell the Commissioner and read this into the record, what happened on that particular - that game in 1993?

MR CASSIM: "In or about 1993 Kapil Dev invited me to 5.8attend a game in India which I did, and it was there that I met and was introduced to the Indian players and I also met the South African players. I had a very good relationship with all the South African players as well as a large number of the overseas players. I formed a very good relationship, in particular with South African players like Fanie de Villiers, Brian MacMillan and Daryll Cullinan."

MR WITZ: Now Mr Cassim just stopping over there, when you talk about a good relationship, explain to the Commissioner, in your words, what is a good relationship. Is it a matter of tickets? Is it a matter of a meal? What do you call a good relationship with, in particular, these players that you have now mentioned treatment I received there I can't express it at the moment, it was too much.

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