Durban - Hijackers targeting Isipingo struck on Wednesday night, shooting dead a Lotus Park father as he slowed for a speed hump.
Police spokesman, Major Thulani Zwane, said the incident happened at 7pm when two unknown armed men tried to hijack a vehicle in Lotus Drive.
“The driver allegedly resisted and he was fatally shot. Two suspects fled the scene. No arrests have been made,” he said.
Leon Maistry, 42, a tool and die maker at a local company, had left his Cocos Avenue home to visit a friend in Lotus Drive.
Residents had seen two men walking on the pavement, but thought nothing of it.
It is believed that as Maistry’s Polo reached the speed hump, the men ran towards his car.
Ward Councillor Sunil Kalicharan, who lives in the road where the incident happened, said he heard people screaming and gunshots.
“I am not sure what happened, but the men shot him three times. One bullet went through his head. His car veered off the road and came to a halt after driving into a wall,” Kalicharan said.
The men did not take his car but ran off down a footpath and into an awaiting white Kia Rio.
Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said when paramedics arrived they found that the vehicle had veered off the road and crashed into a gate post.
“The driver was found slumped over in his seat. Tragically, he had died due to the extensive injuries that he sustained,” he said.
Isipingo police station crime statistics from April last year to March this year showed that robbery with aggravating circumstances was down by 50 reported incidents.
Carjacking has increased by 35% from 81 to 110 reported incidents. House robbery had decreased by 13. The problem of carjacking has been a norm in the Isipingo area according to the statistics.
Kalicharan described Maistry as a quiet and humble person who was well respected and always with his family. Kalicharan said in the past few months, crime, including muggings, had increased in the area. He said there were many pathways and streets that aided the criminals’ getaway.
On Facebook on Wednesday night, posters called for unity to form a neighbourhood watch and some wanted to take the law into their own hands. Others conveyed their condolences to the family.
One post, by Shireen Singh, said: “This is so sad, when you see so many people on that road at the crime scene, yet we get poor attendance at meetings to avoid this kind of occurrence.”
Ronnie Vengan, on behalf of the executive and members of Safa – Isipingo District Football Association (1918), strongly condemned acts of violence.
“We extend our sincere condolences and deepest sympathies to the family. Maistry was an Isipingo soccer legend who had played for Clayton Lads Football Club.”
Daily News