Suspect arrested for the alleged murder of DA councillor’s brother after he was hijacked in Ladysmith

SAPS policemen stand between police vans

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Published Mar 1, 2023

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Durban - Suresh Rajkoomar, the brother of DA Alfred Duma councillor Anand Rajkoomar, was killed during a hijacking in Ladysmith on Tuesday.

KwaZulu-Natal provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said Ladysmith police had arrested a 33-year-old suspect.

Ngcobo said the suspect was arrested for murder and car-jacking following an incident where a 64-year-old man was fatally shot.

“It is alleged that the victim was accosted by four armed men who forced him to get back inside the vehicle.”

The victim did as instructed and they drove towards Steadville, she said.

“While the suspect was driving the victim attempted to grab the firearm from the suspect and a shot went off, wounding the suspect on the thigh.”

Ngcobo said the suspect then allegedly shot the victim and robbed him off his bank cards.

“The vehicle was later found abandoned at Ezakheni in Ladysmith.”

Police are still searching for the remaining suspects who are still at large.The suspect will appear in court soon.

DA uThukela constituency head Alf Lees said the DA in the uThukela District was greatly saddened to hear of the murder.

“Mr Suresh Rajkoomar was apparently hijacked in Ladysmith and then taken into the veld near Ezakheni where he was shot and killed,” he said.

Lees said the DA would support the Rajkoomar family as best it could at this difficult time.

“We ask for the Rajkoomar family to be held up in prayer as they deal with this tragedy in their lives.

“We trust that the police will put their full strength into finding the murderers of not only Mr Rajkoomar, but of the many other shooting murders in uThukela, especially the Estcourt area that seem to go by without the murderers being found and charged,” he said.