Durban - Police are still tight-lipped over the investigation into the death of two truck owners on Ridge Road in Durban on Saturday.
Imthiyaz Khan and Megesh Naidoo, owners of One Stop Towing were standing outside the convenience store at the Total petrol station on Ridge Road when a Toyota Etios with tinted windows drove into the forecourt.
Naidoo and Khan were also in the company of their third business partner known as Nabeel and two bodyguards when gunmen sprayed them with high calibre rounds.
Captain Nqobile Gwala, a KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson said the incident took place just after 1am.
“The occupants in the Etios fired randomly at them. One died at the scene, four were taken to hospital where one later died. They sustained gunshot wounds to the body,” said Gwala
Charges of murder and attempted murder are being investigated by Berea SAPS.
It is alleged that the shooters used an R5 rifle and 9mm handguns.
Khan died at the scene from a bullet wound to the head. Naidoo, his two bodyguards and Nabeel were rushed to St Augustines Hospital by a tow truck driver who was not injured in the shooting.
Naidoo died while being attended to by doctors and it is believed he was shot nine times. One of the bodyguards was struck by a bullet that went through his stomach while another went through his mouth. He has been discharged from hospital. The second bodyguard was hit several times on his leg. Nabeel was hit by bullets on his back. It is unclear if they were discharged from hospital.
Naidoo was cremated on Wednesday.
A screengrab from the video showing how friends gathered say their last goodbyes to a tow truck operator, killed in a driveby shooting last week. Picture and video: Supplied
Police had taken the CCTV footage from the garage for investigation. Police could not confirm if the Etios used in the hit was found on the roadside burnt in the Cato Manor area.
A source said that at Naidoo's funeral at the Clare Estate Crematorium on Wednesday rival tow truck owners had confronted each other in the car park laying the blame on one another.
The source said talks of restructuring the Durban and surrounding suburbs tow truck operations was also underway.
It is alleged by sources that One Stop Towing emerged as a major competitor in the towing industry with the sudden saturation of 30 tow trucks. At least six more tow trucks were set to hit the streets by this week.
It is alleged that smaller operators were bullied out of business.
The petrol station where the shootings took place.
The men had been standing outside the store to avoid the heavy rainfall that night.
They normally sat on the benches at the side of the garage.
Ettienne Pel, National chairperson of United Towing Association SA, said death threats and extortion were common practice in the towing industry. He cited a lack of regulations and monitoring and said this was putting more lives in danger.
Pel said the incident looked more like an assassination, adding that three tow truck owners had been killed in KZN this month.
Naidoo and Nabeel had joined the tow truck industry less than six months ago. Khan had been involved with Silver towing in Overport.