“He was going back home today, now he is going back in a box,” said Mr Edward James*.
James is a close family friend of Mr Pien Pui-da who was shot on Monday, April 30. The incident happened at Clearwater Estate’s gate 2 after the late Pui-da withdrew a large amount of cash to take home to Thailand.
The late Mr Pien Pui-da.
James described Pui-da as a harmless man with no enemies.
“He would not hurt a fly,” James said.
He added that Pui-da’s son-in-law, who was in the car with him when the incident happened, said that they went straight home after withdrawing the money. “Not even his son-in-law knew that they were going to the bank to withdraw the money. But his son-in-law who is currently in a local hospital, after being shot in the leg, said that he saw a vehicle following them when they went past Clearwater’s first gate. It’s not even a 12- minute drive from Saveways back home,” said James.
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“They were driving the pool car which was provided to them. How would the suspects know that the occupants of this car had that amount of cash?”
James added that the robbers kept asking for the money, after it was put in a white bank bag from the bank.
“It would seem from the video footage that Pui-da put up a fight to not give the money. Whether it was shock or an act of pure stubbornness, I would not know. That’s when he was shot,” said James.
James added that they were held up at the bank for about 15 minutes before they received the money.
“When the armed men attacked Pui-da, they went straight for him. Not his son-in-law in the passenger seat. They knew he had the money on him. How? They knew exactly who to stop in which vehicle,” added James.
With a sadder tone, James added that Pui-da would have gone home last week Thursday for a restaurant opening.
The scene where Mr Pien Pui-da lost his life after a robbery.
“He did not deserve what happened to him. He usually transfers the money. He was hit in the face before he was shot,” said James.
A case of murder and another of attempted murder was opened at the Witbank Police Station and is still under investigation.
James said that the Monks from Thailand visited the scene on Wednesday, May 2 and had a little service where Pui-da lost his life.
*Another name was used to protect the identity the family friend.
