Cape Town - A Kalksteenfontein hawker was killed on Thursday afternoon in a suspected extortion case.
Nazeem Peters, 52, was shot in Jakkalsvlei Avenue in Bonteheuwel.
He had gone to fix his bakkie at a mechanic’s house when he was attacked.
The father of six had a fruit and vegetables stall in Bishop Lavis.
A relative said: “I was at home when someone came to tell me that he was lying by the mechanic’s.
“I went to the scene and found him there on the ground. I was so shocked that all that could come out were swear words, and I was asking who could have done such a horrible thing to a good man.”
The grief-stricken woman told the Cape Argus they suspected it was about extortion.
“Prior to this, gangsters approached him and demanded R10 000 from him and he refused. He told them that they should go and look for jobs.
“They just wanted him to pay them for having a stall. They didn’t go to him once, he loved helping people and would always give whatever he had to those in need.
“He would give food and money to community members and even if they didn’t pay him back, he would still give to them again. Everyone is really saddened by this brutal attack.”
On Sunday, the family held Peters’s janazah (funeral) at his Kalksteenfontein home.
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said no one had been arrested for the hawker’s murder.
“The circumstances surrounding a shooting incident on Thursday at 5.50pm in Jakkalsvlei Avenue, Bonteheuwel, where a 52-year-old man was shot and fatally wounded are under investigation.
“Bishop Lavis police attended to a complaint of a shooting and upon arrival on the scene found the victim with gunshot wounds to his body. The victim was declared dead on the scene by medical personnel.
“The suspects fled the scene and have yet to be arrested.”
Anyone with any information about this shooting incident is kindly requested to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.