A wild shootout in the ANC's office in Durban's city centre was part of a spate of violent crimes that have left residents in fear.
|||Durban - A wild shootout in the ANC’s office in Durban’s city centre was part of a spate of violent crimes that have left residents in fear, while questions have been asked about the police’s preparedness for the Christmas holidays.
In one of the most brazen criminal acts this week, six gunmen hijacked and killed a policeman and, the next day, his car was used to commit a robbery at Commercial City, where the ANC’s regional offices are housed.
On Saturday Leona Eserdaw, girlfriend of Warrant Officer Rylin Moonilall, said her life would never be the same without the man she had planned to marry.
Eserdaw and Moonilall, both 23, had gone to buy bread when they were attacked by six men who shot him in the face and stomach and took his car, a Peugeot 207 hatchback. Eserdaw said that an errand to buy bread had changed her life.
“We got back home and at first I didn’t notice anything strange on the road. We pulled up and I opened the door and I looked back and saw six guys running towards us… I just screamed.
“I got back into the car and he (Moonilall) had no idea why I was screaming. When he saw them, he grabbed me and tried to shield me. They ripped me from the car by my hair and one of them hit me in the stomach. They also hit me with a gun and threw me on the floor.
“I begged them not to hurt him. They shot him and he just fell on to the passenger seat. They started to drive away from the house and he was lying down flat and they dragged him out of the car. I screamed for them to leave him and they lifted up his head and shot him again,” she said.
Moonilall died shortly afterwards in hospital. And while his funeral was being conducted on Friday, the armed robbers used his car to follow a businessman who had withdrawn a large sum of money from a bank in Commercial Road to the parking structure in Commercial City.
The gunmen confronted the man and fled with his money, but security at the building saw the incident on CCTV and when the gunmen tried to escape in the stolen car, a shootout ensued.
Bystanders ducked for cover as shots rang out. The robbers fled into the parking garage, pursued by security and police officers. Two were quickly cornered while Metro Police officers used dogs to search for the others. Police closed Commercial Road as throngs of onlookers gathered along the street. A third man was arrested after he was shot in the buttocks by police.
Regional ANC secretary Bheki Ntshangase, who was in the office block, said they had only became aware of the incident after it had happened.
Police spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker said five suspects were arrested and three firearms recovered. He confirmed that the Peugeot 207 used in the heist had been hijacked from Moonilall.
Naicker said the arrests would send a clear message to criminals. He said festive season operations were in effect, with strategic placement of police officers.
“We have made these moves to increase visibility and deter criminals from trying to strike. These placements ensure a quick response,” he said.
Naicker said police were working closely with Durban Metro Police and security companies.
This week, police had to contend with a number of serious crimes.
* On Wednesday night in Pietermaritzburg, Sandile Hadebe, 36, was shot dead when two gunmen attempted to steal his car. In a separate incident about an hour later Bongani Mthethwa, 37, was hijacked and shot. On Saturday, police said two suspects believed to be linked to both cases were arrested.
* On Thursday three men aged between 20 and 23 were cornered by police in Inanda, and were found to be in possession of three illegal firearms in their VW Golf.
* On Friday a gun-wielding man jumped over a counter and demanded the takings from the cashier at a Shell garage at the intersection of the M19 and N2 highway. The suspect took an undisclosed amount of cash and several packets of cigarettes.
According to the South African Banking Risk Information Centre the occurrence of these robberies was worrying. “We are appealing to bank customers to refrain from carrying large sums of cash in order to lessen their exposure to the risk of these attacks,” said chief executive Kalyani Pillay.
As the peak December holiday season approaches, neighbourhood watches, CPFs and security companies sounded a warning to homeowners and people withdrawing large sums of money to safeguard themselves and stay alert.
Enforce Security director Anthony Feuilherade said his company had stepped up operations in both shopping centres and suburbs.
MD of Blue Security, Darren le Grange, said, “Generally, crime does go up this time of the year. The bad guys have to do Christmas shopping.”
Marshall Security spokesman Graeme Dow said their special operations team had been working flat out in anticipation of a spike in festive season crime.
Sunday Tribune