Being in the wrong place at the wrong time cost a man from New Brighton his life when he walked in on a robbery in progress while apparently seeking a cash loan. .
While the family of the 26-year-old man is unclear about what exactly happened at the house in Motherwell where he was shot dead, his colleagues at a Gqeberha college believe he might have been confronted by the killers when he went to see a loan shark.
On request from his family the man’s name is being withheld, as they fear for their safety.
The shooting occurred at a house in Xhama Road on Thursday afternoon.
Two women were in the house helping their children with homework when two armed suspects entered.
Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said one of the suspects had entered the house first, threatening the women at gunpoint and demanding money.
The second man then joined him.
“While the robbery was in progress the victim arrived at the premises and entered the house.
“He was allegedly confronted by the suspects and an argument ensued.
“One of the suspects fired a shot into the ceiling of the house, and then shot the victim in the head,” Beetge said.
The man died on the scene. The suspects fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, two laptops, nine cellphones and several bank cards.
No arrests have been made yet.
The dead man’s family was still visibly shaken at their New Brighton home on Friday and declined to be interviewed, saying they were completely in the dark about what had happened.
They were even uncertain what the victim would have been doing in Motherwell at the time of his death.
However, colleagues at the Gqeberha campus of Damelin College believe he may have been seeking a loan as many of the college’s staff members had not received their salaries on time.
According to lecturers at the college, there has been an ongoing issue with staff not being paid on time, leaving many of them cash-strapped and worrying about debt piling up.
“Some months our salaries come in a few days late. Sometimes it comes in two or three weeks late. It has been going on like this for months,” one lecturer said.
The slain man was a student at Damelin before landing an internship.
He later worked his way up through the college’s marketing department, eventually becoming an accounts clerk — a position he held at the time of his death.
“Like the rest of us he was struggling to make ends meet when we heard our salaries would be late again this month.
“We heard he had gone to a loan shark, and that is where the shooting took place,” one colleague said.
Gqeberha Damelin campus general manager Craig Daniel confirmed the issues around salaries, but said he could not comment on the shooting.
“We are in communication with head office and we have been told the outstanding salaries will be paid in batches.
“As for the shooting, we cannot give any comment. The victim was a valued member of our team and he will be sorely missed.
“We have been in contact with his family and we will be meeting with them at the weekend to convey our condolences,” Daniel said.
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