Durban — Residents at Canelands informal settlement in Durban were left shocked and terrified after a resident was fatally shot on Saturday.
A 32-year-old man, known only as Sandile, was killed just a street from his home at about 6pm after he allegedly had a misunderstanding with a 22-year-old man.
A community member who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons said there was a dispute over money.
“It is not clear where the money misunderstanding came from, after the dispute between Sandile and the young man. When Sandile walked away he told these boys he will shoot them. The young man, who is 22, did not hesitate to take out his gun and shoot him first.
“Sandile tried to run but he fell and the young man shot at him while he was laying down powerless,” she said.
After the suspect shot Sandile he ran away, she said. When the Daily News got to the crime scene, there was red tape around where Sandile took his last breath. It was evident that the people in the area had been shaken as they were too scared to talk.
Another community member said Sandile had rooms that he rented out in the area and he also lived in one of the rooms.
“He had eight rooms but the other room was burnt down a few months ago and till this day nobody knows who started the fire or why,” said the community member.
The community member also said there was an issue related to money but he was not sure what it was really about.
He said Sandile lived alone.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) said their members arrived at the scene shortly after 7pm and discovered a large crowd gathered around the body of a man bleeding excessively from his injuries.
“Medics examined the individual and confirmed he showed no signs of life. He sustained five gunshot wounds. According to a witness, the deceased rented out rooms in the area.
“He was seen speaking to a man when the two began arguing. The suspect then produced a firearm and shot the victim multiple times. The perpetrator then robbed him of his cash and fled on foot,” said Rusa.
KZN police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said a case of murder was under investigation at Verulam SAPS.
Daily News