CAPE TOWN – A Muslim imam was shot and killed in Lentegeur on Wednesday evening.
He is believed to have been on his way home from the mosque when the shooting occurred at 22:55, said Const Navon van Houten, spokesperson of Lentegeur Police Station, in Mitchells Plain.
The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan started on Wednesday 18 February, which means he would have just finished reciting the first prayer of Ramadan before he was killed.
According to Muslim tradition he would have been reciting Taraweeh, a special voluntary night prayer performed exclusively during Ramadan.
Van Houten said: “Lentegeur police responded to a shooting incident in Candy Tuff Street, Lentegeur. On arrival they saw a male laying in the street with a blanket covering him. The victim was believed to be an imam at the mosque.”
He said a second person was shot in the same incident, but not fatally.
“The other victim is in hospital with a gunshot wound to his left hand,” Van Houten said. He added that the motive for the shooting is unclear.
Lentegeur Community Police Forum chair Michael Jacobs confirmed the dead man’s name was Moestaqeem Wanza.
Jacobs described the incident as “completely unacceptable”.
“We call on the community to work with the police to volunteer information to find the perpetrators of this heinous act as soon as possible. We call on the police and the detective services to put everything in your power in order to get to the bottom of the killing of the moulana, a respected leader of the Muslim community and role-model particularly to young people of faith.”
During the opening prayers at the Wolfgat Subcouncil meeting this morning at the Lentegeur administrative offices Lentegeur councillor Avron Plaatjies prayed for Wanza and his family, but declined to comment on his murder, referring all queries to police.
Social media posts say Wanza led the call to prayer before exiting the mosque and he was on his way home when he was shot.
One post said: “He always rendered such beautiful recitation of the Holy Quran.”
Van Houten called for anyone with information to contact the investigating officer, Detective Constable Luzizi, on 072 862 0185.
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