Man shot in revenge attack

In what is alleged to be a revenge attack, a 38-year-old resident of Manor Flats in Pietermaritzburg, was shot multiple times by an attacker on Sunday evening.

The shooting took place during loading shedding at around 6 pm which made it difficult to identify the perpetrator.

It is alleged that Marvin Samuel had an altercation with the man earlier in the day. The unidentified suspect then waited for the cover of darkness to take revenge.

Despite the severity of his injuries, Samuel is recovering in hospital from gunshot wounds to the forehead, right arm and chest. It is believed that he was shot six times.

"It was like a hit," his father, Marlon Samuel said.

"Just five minutes after he left home he was shot. He was walking across the road when he was attacked. I got the shock of my life when the neighbour's son alerted me to this shooting incident," said the devastated father.

Samuel added that he could not believe it, as he was with his son a few minutes before the shooting.

"I rushed to the scene and found him lying in a pool of blood. We called for an ambulance but didn't get one immediately. After about 15 minutes we decided to rush him to the hospital using a private vehicle. If we had waited for the ambulance, which came two hours late, he would have been dead by then," Samuel said.

"From what we heard he [the suspect] waited for darkness to shoot him. He was shot at close range.

"All we want to see is this place coming right. Even the streetlights are not working.

With this overgrown vegetation, any criminal can just hide there," Samuel added.

A member of the public who witnessed the incident, but asked not to be named, said the shooter came around the corner and started shooting in the dark.

"It pains our hearts that the people who did this are walking the streets freely. I fear for my life after this incident," he said.

Another community member, who also did not want to be named, said crime has escalated in the area.

"There is a lot of crime in this place. Young people are unemployed and are abusing drugs. As a result, the elderly and the disabled are being victimised. We all want to see change in this place," he said.

Msunduzi Municipality ward 33 councillor, Suraya Reddy, said the community should be super active and ensure that these types of incidents do not occur.

"The police need to come in and show more commitment, visibility and non-tolerance to these types of things. They should put a stop to it. These [those who commit crime] are young people who are currently unemployed or school leavers," she said.

Police spokesperson, Sergeant Sifiso Gwala, said an attempted murder case was opened for investigation.

"A 31-year-old was brought in for questioning on Sunday but was released when it was discovered that he had nothing to do with this incident. The police are on a manhunt for the people who did this," said Gwala.