Durban - The friends of murdered Phoenix gang boss Kalvin Periasamy said his strict bail conditions left him vulnerable. One of Periasamy's bail conditions was that he had to hand over his licensed firearm.
Hundreds of onlookers and friends of Periasamy, 30, gathered inside and outside one of the Gateway Shopping Mall parking lot entrances where he was slain at 10am.
His friends who spoke to the Daily News on condition of anonymity said that if he was armed, he may have been able to defend himself from being attacked.
His murder comes just four months after he was granted R10 000 bail in the Durban High Court on a murder charge.
Periasamy's bail conditions included reporting to the Phoenix police station three times a week, handing in his licensed firearm and attending all court appearance.
Periasamy along with his two co-accused Shaffique Cassim,24, and Abdul Kader Latiff,37 were arrested and charged for the murder of Enver Ramsamy in 2016. The case was moved to the Durban high court in January.
According to the summary of substantial facts on April 15, 2016, the deceased and others including the deceased's friend Sundeep Singh were at a tavern in Phoenix.
Ramsamy had become intoxicated and approached Latiff who was also at the tavern and had made comments to Latif regarding Periasamy. Latif thereafter informed Ramsamy that he could expect a visit from Periasamy.
The following day Singh received a message that Periasamy was upset with Ramsamy for talking about him and had threatened Ramsamys life.
Singh arranged with Periasamy that he would bring Ramsamy to apologise at one of Periasamy's business premises in Hannaford Drive, Phoenix.
Shortly after midday Ramsamy and Singh arrived at Periasamys business premises. When Ramsamy approached Periasamy he was assaulted by all three of the accused.
Ramsamy had drawn his own licensed firearm when he was grabbed around the neck by Latif. Perisamy also drew his firearm. Ramsamy sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene.
In separate charges Periasamy, his brother Kevin and five others were incarcerated at the Ebongweni Super Max Correctional Services in Kokstad. They appeared in the Verulam Magistrates on drug-related charges.
Police said they had recovered R97 156 in cash, two pistols, a shotgun, 64 live rounds of ammunition, 1 836 heroin caps, 138 heroin straws, 80 large crack cocaine pieces, 30 mandrax tablets, three bags of cocaine, two ecstasy pills and 186 grams of dagga during the raid.
The men face more than 30 charges, including drug dealing, crimen injuria, robbery, intimidation, kidnapping and assault.
On Wednesday, as a bloodied picture of Periasamy was circulated on social media police cordoned off the entrance to the crime scene and kept onlookers at bay while they conduct their investigations.
Captain Nqobile Gwala, a KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, said Periasamy was shot multiple times in the parking lot.
Durban North police are investigating a case of murder.