Cele visits family as they mourn son
Father describes pain of losing child to gang violence
“IF I knew that was my son when I heard the bullets, I would have gone to defend him. I would have taken those bullets in his place.”
These were the words of griefstricken Mogamat Alwie Noordien, who spoke about the shooting of his son, 20-year-old Ameerodien.
Hundreds of mourners paid tribute to their “priceless gem” yesterday. He will be buried today due to a backlog at the mortuary.
Ameerodien was not only a caregiver to his ailing mother, but a son to his Hanover Park community.
The Gift of the Givers volunteer was killed in a gang crossfire while standing outside a tuck shop at the weekend. He was shot three times.
“I loved my son very much. I don’t know how to describe this pain, but it hurts. He had just returned from work and greeted me outside the stoep. He went to his mother, kissed her and told her he loves her. He informed her that he was quickly going to fetch his phone and charger at a nearby shop. When he passed by me I told him to be fast and careful because he knows how things are in the area,” said Mogamat.
“His young brother and sister had accompanied him. A neighbour said Ammie go quick, giving him a sign with his eyes that something was going on behind him. When he turned there were three guys. He pushed his sister behind him and they began shooting.
“They walked away, but one turned, rolled my son’s body over and shot him again. I ran to check out when I heard my daughter screaming. I had hoped that none of my children were shot.” Ameerodien was the breadwinner who washed, dressed and fed his mother Fatima, who is on dialysis.
Fatima said: “I will miss his smile that would brighten my day. He did everything for me. My son never got tired of me; he really had a big heart.
“He did not only respect us here at home, but everyone in the community.” A childhood friend and colleague at the Gift of the Givers, Kyle Benjamin, 22, said: “He was one of the most kind people I knew. He loved helping people, especially young kids.
“We became volunteers not only to help our families and communities, but not to be in gangs.”
Speaking to fed-up residents, Police Minister Bheki Cele announced Cape Town’s Anti-Gang Unit. The unit will consist of 95 to 100 members and will also include special investigators. Cele said the unit will be launched in Hanover Park in November. He also gave police 48 hours to arrest suspects involved in the killing of Ameerodien.
Anyone with information can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 0860 001 0111 or SMS Crime Line on 32211.