The South African Police Service (Saps) confirmed that a man, 55, was murdered in front of his family at the Birchwood Spur on Sunday. He was a purported victim of the notorious Rolex gang.
Police spokesperson Colonel Noxolo Kweza said the Boksburg North police are investigating an instance of armed robbery and murder.
“There have been no arrests and investigations are ongoing,” he said.
According to a reliable source close to the police investigation, only the victim’s Rolex, valued at around R350 000, was taken.
The Rolex gang
The Rolex gang gained notoriety over the past few years for its surveillance of victims.
The gang allegedly follow victims home or to a pitstop and violently rob them of their watches. Several tourists and locals have been victims of the gang, yet to be brought to book.
‘Victim followed from a mall’
According to the source, the assailants shot the man as he was getting out of his bakkie in the parking lot. During preliminary investigations, the source said, roadside security camera footage suggest that the man was followed from earlier in the day.
He was first shopping at Lakeside Mall in Benoni. The victim was then reportedly tailed to Builders Warehouse in Boksburg after which he pulled into the parking lot at the Birchwood Spur.
There attackers were purportedly driving in two vehicles. The first pulled into the Spur’s parking lot while a second support vehicle idled roadside.
Victim dies on the scene
The victim’s vehicle branding suggested he was a tour operator in the travel industry. Onlookers at the scene told the publication he was on his way to join a party for lunch when the attack occurred.
According to eyewitnesses, paramedics, private security, the South African Police Service and members of the Ekurhuleni Chaplaincy were on the scene within minutes; the latter tending to the man’s family while forensics were combing the area for clues.
Police confirmed the victim died on the scene and lay covered in a space blanket next to his bakkie.
Staff and patrons in shock
The Birchwood Spur in Boksburg is usually jam-packed with families on Sundays.
A waiter spoke to The Citizen: “I am in shock, we are not okay. 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.
Birchwood Spur owner Johan Erasmus said that he was grateful no one else was injured during the incident.
“We are providing trauma counselling to all those affected by this horrible incident. We will offer any information that may assist the police to apprehend the culprits. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family during this incredibly difficult time,” he said.
Ward councillor ‘disgusted’ by Spur killing
Local Boksburg ward councillor Simon Lapping said that he was “disgusted”.
“There are simply no words to describe the foul nature of this crime,” he said.
“There is 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. Criminals are murdering innocent people in broad daylight and getting away with it.
“I trust that the police will leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of the perpetrators.”
Manhunt underway
A manhunt is underway, according to the source, who noted that officers were in pursuit of the attackers’ vehicle on Sunday afternoon. He said it was headed in the direction of Alexandra, outside Sandton, after the shooting.
A nearby fast-food restaurant staffer saw parts of the scene unfold and shared that her brother was taken out by a knife attack a few months earlier after a dispute.
“I see this family’s pain…I know their pain. One moment you could just be on your way to enjoy a special time with your family and the next, this could happen,” she said.
“This is the new South Africa, today.”
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