DURBAN - OTHONGATHI bus company owner Kishore Sathanlal, who was shot dead near his home, will be cremated at the Verulam Crematorium on Monday.
Sathanlal, 59, owned Injabuliso (Liso) Transport, a bus service in the oThongathi and Emona area.
Reaction Unit SA (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said Sathanlal was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on Van Rova Road on Saturday morning. When Rusa approached the scene they were flagged down by the occupants of a minibus taxi.
The driver informed Rusa that a red Toyota Hilux bakkie had collided with his vehicle. The bakkie then veered off the road and went about 25 metres down an embankment.
“We approached the bullet-riddled bakkie and located the driver lying across the front seats. The motive for the shooting is unknown,” Balram said.
Sathanlal’s close friend, Shailendra Vikash Rungitlall, wrote on the Buses in Durban Facebook group that bus operators have been treated unfairly.
Rungitlall said Sathanlal began working as a conductor for a bus company in oThongathi. He then became a mechanic before creating his own fleet of buses.
“We hear of intimidation, robberies, assault and bus operators being gunned down, buses being burnt, passengers being assaulted and yet we don't have any resolution on these issues,” Rungitlall said.
“We lost a humble and kind operator due to a shooting. Today a family of two young boys and their mother will be mourning because some greedy, selfish person is not content with what he has got.”
Close friend Manny Lutchman said he could not believe what had happened and was still in a state of shock.
“I travelled with him extensively on a daily basis either to buy parts or run an errand. I could have been in the bakkie with him.
“He was having a problem with minibus taxis but whether it (shooting) was transport-related will have to be investigated by the police.
“Buses were his passion. It drove him. He had a staff complement that could lose their jobs if the family decide to close under pressure.
“He was down to earth and humble. He took me on a tour once and showed me the roads he paved to allow his buses to get further into the rural community instead of the passengers waking a distance.”
The Sathanlal family declined to comment.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said a case of murder is being investigated by the Tongaat SAPS.
In a separate incident, Balram said the body of a man was found on the side of Hazelmere Road on Saturday afternoon. He said the man appeared to have been shot execution-style.
“The victim’s hands and legs were bound with rope and wire. He sustained gunshot wounds to his head and arms. The shots are believed to have been fired at close range. Some 9mm spent cartridges were recovered at the scene. The identity of the deceased and the motive for the murder have not been established.”
Daily News