Man killed in queue rage

A man has been killed and two others injured after a 45-year-old man opened fire on them, alleging they had jumped the R350 grant queue outside a Post Office in Isipingo on Tuesday.

According to the South African Post Office, preliminary reports suggested the shooting was a result of unscrupulous individuals purporting to manage the queue for the social relief distress (SRD) payments and allegedly demanding bribes for placing people at the front of the queue.

“During the argument, the suspect took out his firearm and fired shots, wounding two people,” police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said.

She said the suspect then fled towards the corner of Inwabi and Gokul roads, where another man tried to stop him. He shot the man, believed to be in his 30s, in the chest. The victim was declared dead on the scene.

Community members then assaulted the suspect. With assistance of the security company, the suspect was apprehended and taken to the police.

The suspect’s firearm was confiscated by police and he was taken to hospital for his injuries to be treated.

He is currently under police guard. Isipingo police are investigating charges of murder and attempted murder.

“The post office would like to extend its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, and hopes for the swift recovery of the two people wounded in the incident,” said KwaZulu-Natal regional post office general manager Martin Coetsee.

“Some options are available to SRD beneficiaries to access their payments without having to go to a post office,” he added.

SA Post Office spokesman Johan Kruger said the post office had security staff who let the requisite number of people into branches at any given point to ensure smooth service.