In Durban last week police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a home invasion in which two men were shot. One man was killed and the other is in critical condition following a home invasion on Silverglen Drive in Chatsworth, south of Durban, in KwaZulu Natal.
According to an article published by The Witness, Garrith Jamieson, the director of ALS Paramedics, says they responded to a call just before 04:00 this morning.
“Paramedics arrived on the scene to find SAPS already in attendance and were guided into a house where they found two people who had sustained gunshot wounds. “One man, believed to be in his 40s, had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to his chest. Unfortunately, there was nothing paramedics could do for him and he was declared deceased on the scene,” he says. Jamieson says a second man, believed to be in his 60s, was shot in his lower body and is in critical condition. Advanced Life Support Paramedics worked to stabilise the man on the scene before rushing him to a nearby hospital. Jamieson says events leading up to the shooting are unclear, however, SAPS were in attendance and will be investigating.
Murder often leaves a dark scarlet thread in its wake. The South African Police Service (SAPS) while investigating will have no problem tracing the thread. The question of motive will be imminent in everyone’s minds. It is not an easy task to murder anyone. The perpetrators or perpetrator who carried out the shooting were certainly ruthless. The persons or person could have been a thief or thieves, or they could have had a personal grudge against the victims. Its hard to say. The fact that one man is dead and the other is fighting for his life is tragic. It goes to show that security against crime in Durban might be somewhat laxed. Or the criminals are becoming more embolden. The men who carried out the shootings were clearly skilled in knowing where to strike. Being still at large and armed does not present a desirable situation.
It is fortunate that one man survived the shooting. Now the police have to apprehend the perpetrators.
Also, this week one person was killed and several were injured after a cash heist led to a series of shootings on Tuesday in Durban on the N2.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said emergency teams were called out just after 6 am following multiple reports of shootings and a cash-in-transit heist. “Immediately, multiple resources were dispatched,” he said. Jamieson said that upon arrival, paramedics, SAPS, and Metro Police were met with “total chaos.” A cash-in-transit vehicle had been forced off the road and it overturned. It was then blown up by armed suspects. “The suspects then robbed the cash-in-transit van,” he said. Three security officers suffered various injuries and were treated on the scene before being transported to nearby hospitals. Further down the road, approximately 500 metres from the robbery, three bus passengers on their way to work had sustained gunshot wounds. “They were also stabilised by ALS paramedics before being transported to various hospitals,” Jamieson confirmed.
Another scene was discovered on the Higginson Highway bridge over the N2, where two more people had been shot. “They were stabilised on the scene before being transported to hospital,” he added.
What happened on the N2 shows that criminals such as hijackers and robbers are becoming more emboldened. The heist on the transit vehicle exposes the ruthlessness of hijackers in looking for opportunities to make illicit gains. The fact that the cash-transit-vehicle had been forced off the road and overturned, leading to the hijackers overwhelming the vehicle’s security detail. The precision with which this plan was executed exhibits the ruthlessness of the hijackers. They knew where the vehicle was going and knew how they were going to obtain the contents of the vehicle (the money) without worrying about being caught. The police and the paramedics, were not well equipped to deal with rampant chaos and carnage cause by the capsized vehicle. It goes to show that more needs to be done to improve the training of the policing unit.
The deaths and casualties of civilians raises deep concern about the ability of both the province and the municipality to tackle the issue of crime. The threat of murder, robbery, and organized crime does not portray a positive environment for business. We still have a long way to go to stabilize the situation. Tackling crime such as theft and murder is no simple task.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
