Stellenbosch police are investigating the murder of a man after a shooting on Friday 17 April.
Local police spokesperson, Captain Nathalie Martin, explained that police responded to a shooting incident in Thubelitsha, Khayamandi around 13:46.
At the scene police officers found an unknown man lying in the street metres away from his vehicle. “The victim had bullet wounds to his body and multiple bullet holes was noticed on the driver’s side of the victim’s vehicle. The 26-year-old deceased was declared dead on the scene,” she confirmed.
According to reports, the victim was a delivery man, who has been delivering chickens to local street vendors.
Suggestions have been made that the victim was hounded for protection money, but Martin could not corroborate these rumours saying that the motive for the shooting is still unknown.
ALSO READ: ‘Please be proactive’ police tells Khayamandi
Extortion and protection money has been a problem in Khayamandi for some time.
During a comunity meeting last year, Brigadier Sandile Sonjani, Stellenbosch police station commander, expressed his concern of the ongoing trend.
“This extortion is one of the biggest current criminal issues in Khayamandi. These scoundrels are visiting barber shops, hair salons and spaza shops looking for money. But when we speak to the business owners, they say they are not willing to open cases because they fear for their safety,” he explained.
Sonjani added in most cases business owners would rather pay criminals than open cases with the police out of fear.
A murder case has been registed after Friday’s fatal shooting and is currently being investigated by the police’s Provincial Priority Crime Team. No arrests have been made as yet.
Martin urged locals to make use of the national extortion hotline on 0800 911 011 to report extortion. Alternatively contact Crime Stop (08600 10111) as callers will remain anonymous.
Reports can also be made via the MySAPS app, which also allows tip-offs without revealing your identity.
“Go to a police station in another area, not your local one if you’re worried about being seen. Do not discuss reporting plans with neighbours or on social media. Avoid making calls from home or work phones if you suspect monitoring,” Martin implored.
