A man was allegedly shot in front of his family on Sunday afternoon at Boksburg’s Birchwood Spur. According to witnesses, he was on his way to join friends and family for lunch when the shooting occurred.
Eyewitnesses on the scene told The Citizen’s reporter that two assailants purportedly shot the man several times as he was getting out of his bakkie in the parking area.
Bystanders speculated that it was either a hit or the man was a victim of a Rolex gang robbery gone wrong.
Private security, the South African Police Service (Saps) and members of the Ekurhuleni Chaplaincy were on the scene, the latter tending to the man’s family while forensics were combing the area for clues.
The victim was covered in a space blanket next to his bakkie.
The Birchwood Spur is usually jam-packed with families on Sundays. A waiter spoke to The Citizen on the scene.
“I am in shock. We are not okay,” the waiter said. “One moment I was serving one of my tables and the next I just heard ‘kwah kwah kwah’.
“It happened so quickly that none of us immediately understood what was happening.”
The waiter added that patrons were still in shock inside the restaurant. Several families could be seen still in their seats through the restaurant windows right next to where the shooting occurred.
Local ward councillor Simon Lapping said that he was “disgusted” by the incident.
“There are simply no words to describe the foul nature of this crime,” he said.
“Whether or not it was a hit or a robbery gone awry, there is simply no reason to shoot someone in cold blood and speed away. This is the depths to what this country is degenerating, and it disgusts me.
“I trust that the police will leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of the perpetrators.”
At the time of publishing, the police spokesperson had not responded yet to calls from The Citizen for comment around the incident.
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