Durban - A family gathering turned into a nightmare on Monday evening when a 22-year-old was hijacked outside her aunt’s home in Chatsworth and two relatives including her mother were shot.
‘The Mercury’ spoke to the 22-year-old’s aunt on Tuesday afternoon, who requested not to be named. She said the incident unfolded outside her house just after 7pm.
According to the aunt, her family, who were visiting from the Newlands area for a function, were at the house for a few minutes when her niece went to move her mother’s van from her next door neighbour’s driveway to another property.
She said three men approached her niece and one of them demanded the van keys.
During this time, the aunt said that her husband was standing behind a vehicle outside her gate.
“As he pointed the gun at her she threw the keys to and ran down the driveway to call for help,” she said.
She said the keys landed on the road at her husband’s feet.
“They pointed the gun at him and told him not to move. Then they picked up the keys and by that time other family members were going up to assist,” she said.
According to the aunt, the suspects ran back to the van and opened fire at them.
She said her niece’s mother was shot in the abdomen and her brother’s son-in-law was shot in the hand.
She said while her niece was not injured she is very traumatised by the incident. She said both family members were taken to a private hospital where they are recovering after undergoing surgery.
The aunt added that the van was located in uMlazi via a tracking device but has not yet been recovered.
Earlier on Tuesday, provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala confirmed the incident.
Gwala said Chatsworth SAPS are investigating cases of attempted murder and carjacking following the incident on December 19.