Cape Town - Mourners attending a funeral were left in shock after three gunmen boarded a bus and shot a male passenger dead in his seat.`
Witnesses say the three men got onto the hired Golden Arrow Bus at the Maitland Cemetery and called out the victim’s name.
They then told other passengers to lower their heads and bend down in their seats before opening fire.
The man was shot several times and died on the bus.
A witness says after shooting the man, the gunmen ran to their vehicle and chaos ensued as panicked passengers scrambled to get off the bus.
Police and staff of Golden Arrow Bus Services were called to the scene on Friday just after 11am where they found the man riddled with bullets on the bus in Voortrekker Road, Maitland.
The bus had been privately hired for the funeral of a woman.
It is unclear whether the victim was related to the woman.
Cops say the gunmen fled in a white Mercedes-Benz Vito and are yet to be arrested.
The victim, identified as Peter Tarentaal from Bishop Lavis, was shot four times, according to sources at the crime scene.
The attack is believed to be gang-related.
Inside the bus, the victim’s blood was sprayed over the floor and several seats.
Family members at the scene said the gunmen were actually looking for a relative of the man and shot him instead.
One of the family members broke down, sitting with his head in his hands outside the bus while police carried out investigations.
Another witness said the bus was busy parking when the gunmen boarded.
“After the shooting, passengers and the bus driver ran for their lives.”
He says the woman’s funeral went ahead while police attended to the scene.
Golden Arrow spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer says they are still waiting on information about the incident.
“Golden Arrow can confirm a shooting incident on Friday morning on a private hire near Maitland Cemetery,” she said.
“The exact circumstances are not yet clear and SAPS were on the scene.”
Police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut, confirmed the shooting and says the suspects are still at large.
“An adult male from Bishop Lavis was shot and killed in Voortrekker Road in Maitland by unknown suspects who fled the scene in a white Mercedes-Benz Vito. The circumstances are being investigated,” he says.