Residents in Magwaveni near Tongaat are still reeling in shock and searching for answers after a business owner was shot and killed on Monday, 18 September.
The 36-year-old man, whose name has not been released by the police, was found in a pool of blood inside a shipping container. The circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear, however, Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) said the victim sustained a gunshot wound to his neck.
RUSA Spokesperson, Prem Balram said they were alerted to the incident when their control room received calls from residents reporting a shooting in progress in the area.
“According to the caller, a single gunshot was heard at a general dealer operating from a shipping container. The caller believed that the owner had been shot. Reaction officers were dispatched and on arrival discovered a private security company in attendance. The body of the businessman was located in a pool of blood inside the shipping container. Tongaat SAPS arrived shortly thereafter and utilised a bolt cutter to cut a lock and entered the premises. Upon examination, the deceased was found to have sustained a gunshot wound to his neck. The motive for the murder is unknown at this stage.”
Following the incident, Ward Councillor Thobekani Nene has called on the police to act swiftly in arresting the perpetrators. “House break-ins and business robberies in the area have left residents feeling unsafe. Unknown suspects are targeting local small businesses. We call on the police to act swiftly,” he said.
Cllr Nene appealed to members of the community to form crime-fighting structures in the area. “Crime fighting structures play a pivotal role in reducing crime in our communities. We previously launched a community policing forum in Magwaveni, however, it collapsed. We have plans in place to revive these crime-fighting structureS in Magwaveni in order to root out criminal activities in the area,” he added.
At the time of going to press, the police were still searching for the suspects.
