Durban - The murder of a municipal engineer at the eThekwini Waste and Water Management Centre at Ottawa is being treated as a “sensitive” matter, the mayor’s office said.
On Thursday, mayor Mxolisi Kaunda visited the family of Musawenkosi Gumede, 40, who was shot and killed on Wednesday afternoon.
Private security company Reaction Unit SA spokesperson Prem Balram said Gumede was apparently killed in the presence of a colleague.
“On arrival medics found that the engineer was fatally injured after he sustained a single gunshot wound to the forehead. According to his colleagues, there were approximately 15 to 20 people in the building when the shooting occurred. The engineer was in an office with a female colleague when she allegedly noticed through a glass window two men walking towards her office,” Balram said.
Police said the men entered the office and one fired a shot at Gumede, striking him in the head. The men then fled. A case of murder has been opened at Verulam police station.
Mayoral spokesperson Mluleki Mntungwa said: “Unlike other cases, this is not an accident, but murder. It’s a sensitive matter and we want to speak with the family before we release any information about the victim.”
SA Municipal Workers Union provincial secretary Jaycee Ncanana confirmed Gumede was a member.
“It’s sad that our members are not safe on the premises of the municipality. It’s shocking to know that even the offices of the municipality are not secured. The man who lost his life was not in the field on top of a pole, but in an office within premises that should have had security. The municipality has to take drastic measures to protect its workers.”
He said the union would release a statement after gathering details on the matter.