Johannesburg – Gauteng police on Wednesday confirmed the killing of a man who was allegedly linked to the Joburg criminal underworld.
According to police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, Raymond “Razor” Barras was shot dead outside his Kensington house on Wednesday morning.
Dlamini said the police could not confirm whether Barras was shot in a hit or a hijacking – nothing was taken during the shooting.
“Police can confirm that a man was shot in his car while driving out of his home,” said Dlamini. “No arrests have been made and we do not know what the motive for the shooting is.”
Dlamini added that Barras was shot several times in the upper body.
The 49-year-old was known to have had links to Joburg’s underworld and was well known in criminal circles.
It was understood Barras was an owner of a car restoration company with Faizel “Kappie” Smith.
Smith, a self-confessed hitman, claimed to have been party to the killing of mining magnate Brett Kebble in 2005.
Smith, along with Mikey Schultz and Nigel McGurk, entered into a plea bargain, turned State witnesses, and ultimately did not do jail time.
The trio maintained Kebble was in deep financial trouble and asked them to assist him in his suicide. They were given R500 000 each to kill Kebble.
Media reports on Wednesday suggested Barras had been dabbling in the illegal cigarette trade.