Muthalib was murdered by three men on Thursday afternoon (March 17) at the butchery on corner of Russel and Howard streets, Western Extension.
“The suspects shot the owner in his upper body and he died on scene,” said Benoni Police Station spokesperson, Lieut Nomsa Sekele.
Ebrahim said the butchery will be closed as a sign of respect for Muthalib.
“Fakrudeen’s life was dedicated to the butchery,” he said.
“He worked in butcheries since he left school.”
Muthalib moved to Johannesburg from Pietermaritzburg (PMB) in 2015 and worked in Midrand, which is where he met Ebrahim.
“I knew him as the meat king,” said Ebrahim.
“His meat recipes blew me away.”
Because of his passion, love for recipes and work in the butchery, Ebrahim and Mubeen Seedat went into partnership with him when they established the Benoni Butchery, which opened later in September.
“He was involved in every aspect of the butchery,” Ebrahim said.
“From fixing machines to managing the butchery, he always made an impact on the customers.”
Ebrahim described Muthalib as a jovial, friendly, religious, honest, trustworthy, passionate and dedicated man.
“He became like my brother,” Ebrahim said.
“And he provided high-quality services to customers.
“There were times when he would drop off the meat for customers who could not fetch it.”
Muthalib was the father of two – a three-year-old son and six-year-old daughter – and was married for eight years to Ajmeera.
“He was a man who was highly respected,” Ebrahim said.
“His funeral saw an attendance of possibly 1 000 people in PMB.”
Flowers were placed outside of the butchery by mourning customers, one of whom was Heather Bender.
“I started buying my meat here since they opened,” she said,
“Fakrudeen was a lovely guy.”
An eye witness who was travelling on Russel Street at the time of the incident said she saw the three suspects leaving the butchery after the shooting.
“I did not see their faces,” said the woman, who wished to remain anonymous.
“But they were wearing grey hoodies and drove in a silver Nissan double cab bakkie.”
The witness called the police but said that there was no answer.
“I drove off because I had my grandchildren with me,” she said.
“But I returned to the scene shortly after, and the ambulances were already there.”
A woman who was also in the butchery at the time of the shooting was shot and later rushed to Life the Glynnwood Hospital.
Unfortunately, the City Times had no update on her condition at the time of going to print.
Police suspect the same three suspects were involved in an armed robbery which took place at a pharmacy on Tom Jones later the same evening.
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