Durban cops on the hunt for armed suspects after father killed in Umbilo hijacking
A 41-year-old man was killed in a hijacking in Melbourne Road in Umbilo, in Durban, on Monday afternoon.
Thabiso Makholo had been with his wife, about to leave work for the day, when they were accosted by hijackers. His wife was unharmed in the attack.
Janus Horn of Homeland Security said they were alerted to the hijacking and arrived on scene to find that Makholo had been declared deceased.
“It is alleged that three men approached the deceased and he tried to hang onto the vehicle as they drove off, and they shot him,” Horn said.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras that caught part of the hijacking, showed Makholo on the bonnet of the vehicle. He then slides off and falls to the ground. The video shows him trying to stand up before he staggers and falls to the ground again.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson, Garrith Jamieson, said on arrival paramedics were shown to a man lying on the roadway who showed no signs of life.
“The man in his early 40s had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to his upper body and there was nothing paramedics could do for him and he was declared deceased on the scene,” Jamieson said.
Makholo’s brother told IOL that he (the deceased) was originally from Lesotho and lived with his wife and just welcomed a new baby. The baby was just three days old. He said his brother lived in Mayville and worked at a shop in Melbourne Road.
Umbilo Community Policing Forum’s Calvin Thomas said it was a sad loss of life.
“I want to advise the community that should they find themselves in this situation, they should rather let the possession go and save their life. Unfortunately, this gentleman tried to stop the hijacking and didn’t want the vehicle to be stolen and he lost his life,” he said.
Umbilo police were at the scene and will be investigating further.
IOL