Durban - Kiran Ramdaw assured his wife of nine years he would be fine, as she drove him to hospital late on Friday night.
He had been shot - a single bullet had entered his abdomen and he was bleeding. But he told her he would be fine and helped her with directions to the hospital.
However, minutes after arriving at Bedfordview Private Hospital, Ramdaw died.
The 35-year-old and his wife Virosha, also 35, were originally from KwaZulu-Natal. He lived in Clare Estate and her family were in Sea Cow Lake.
About 10 years ago, the couple moved to Gauteng.
On Friday night, they went to a friend’s home, in Bezuidenhout Valley, for a get-together.
According to Ramdaw’s brother-in-law, Nelson Sookhoo, Ramdaw and two other male friends were standing outside the home when they noticed two men pushing a trolley filled with scrap metal.
“It was about 11pm and they saw the men pass them by. These guys thought nothing of it and continued with their conversation. However, the men turned and demanded their cellphones and wallets.”
According to Sookhoo, the friends did as they were told but Ramdaw resisted.
“One of the men drew a gun and pointed it at Kiran. They then took his wallet and cellphone by force. As they fled, they fired a single shot in his direction. The bullet grazed one of his friends and then hit him in the abdomen.”
Sookhoo said Virosha and the friends rushed him to hospital.
“Kiran was conscious. He was talking. He was giving directions to get to the hospital, and he kept reassuring Virosha he would be fine and she should not worry. But a short while later he died.”
Sookhoo said the family were devastated.
“We cannot come to terms with it. My wife is Kiran’s only sister. There are two other brothers. Their parents died years ago and Kiran regarded my wife as a motherly figure in his life. He was the youngest of all his siblings and he had just begun thriving in life. It took one bullet to end it all,” said Sookhoo.
Ramdaw owned TopNotch IT, Security & Cellular Solutions in Kensington, Johannesburg.
“He wanted to open new branches and expand the business. Virosha worked with him in the business.
“Kiran’s mother passed away 15 years ago and her wish was always that he should get his own house and succeed. Shortly after her death, he moved to Johannesburg and started building up his life. It is sad that, when his business was showing such promise, this had to happen.”
Sookhoo said Ramdaw was a Hindu and planned to fast for nine Saturdays.
“The incident occurred the night before he was due to start his first fast. Some Hindus believe this prayer helps remove any obstacles to success.”
Sookhoo said the family were praying for justice.
“Kiran was kind-hearted and always helped people He was young with a bright future but it was unfairly snatched away by those men. We want the perpetrators to be brought to book.”
Ramdaw’s body was brought to Durban on Saturday, and he was cremated at the Clare Estate Crematorium on Sunday.