‘It’s my birthday, my daddy died’
Estcourt man’s shooting baffles family
SINCE January, at least seven people were killed and about four others injured in separate shootings in Estcourt. Saihesh Chandrakassi, a fitter for Nestlé, was one of the victims.
The 32-year-old was shot and killed while reversing out of his driveway in Mkamba Park on February 8, moments after celebrating his daughter’s birthday.
His passenger, Shanal Ramsaran, 40, sustained multiple gunshot wounds and is in a stable condition in hospital.
Chandrakassi lived with his mother. He had two children who live in Estcourt with their maternal grandmother.
Kavisha Chandrakassi said she had last spoken to her brother earlier that day. “It was my niece’s birthday and she was turning six. I live in Pietermaritzburg and told my brother that morning to video call me when they cut the cake and sing happy birthday to her. While chatting, he spoke of his concerns regarding our mother’s health,” said Kavisha, a psychologist.
“I was busy with online counselling at home and by 10pm I realised that my brother had not called.
“I instead saw missed calls on my phone from other family members. When I walked into my bedroom, where my husband and daughter were seated, I could tell by their expressions that something was wrong.
“My daughter was in tears and I thought something happened to my mum. My husband then told me that my brother had been shot.
“I did not know how to process it. I had no words. Nothing was making sense to me at that point.”
She said she left home to go to Estcourt.
“My other brother, Amith, took Saihesh to the hospital. When I arrived, Amith was crying. I later viewed my brother’s body. It was riddled with bullets and his hand was cold.”
Kavisha said she left the hospital and went to the crime scene.
“From what I have been told, after my niece’s party Saihesh got into his vehicle, a VW Golf, with a passenger. His daughter, son and Amith’s son also got into the car but he told them to travel with our brother.
“He said he would fetch his children from Amith’s home, which was a few minutes away, and drop them off at their maternal grandmother’s home."
Kavisha said soon after Amith drove off he heard multiple gunshots.
“My mother also heard the gunshots and came outside. By this time Amith had dropped his wife and the children off at his home and returned to our family home.
“When he reached the driveway he found Saihesh inside the car covered in blood. He shouted for help but nobody came to assist. Amith was unable to move Saihesh out of the car, so he got into his vehicle and drove to find help. A few people helped him to get our brother into his car.”
Kavisha said nothing was taken from the vehicle.
“Looking at the car and the manner in which he was killed, Saihesh was a sitting duck. He was massacred. My brother did not deserve to die this way.
“He was a humble and calm person who loved his children and his family. He had so many dreams for the future and we even planned on going on a family holiday later this year.
“The most difficult moment was hearing his daughter say, It’s my birthday, my daddy died’. His daughter misses him but his son, who is 9, is trying to be strong.
“Amith is really struggling. They were best friends. Imagine the toll it is taking on him, having had to pull your brother’s body out of the vehicle.”
She said her mother also found it difficult to cope.
“When our father died in 2013 my mother’s health took a turn for the worse and I see it happening again with Saihesh’s passing. She loved him so much. For me, the only connection I have to my brother is his children.
“As a family, we have not spoken about justice. We live in South Africa and there is a high probability that we will never get justice.”
Vishal Ramsaran, the husband of Shanal, a passenger in Saihesh’s vehicle, said he received a call from his fatherin-law informing him about a shooting.
“I arrived at the scene to find Shanal with multiple wounds to her body. My relative called an ambulance and she was taken to hospital. She is in a stable condition. We are not sure what transpired and we are waiting for the results of the police investigation.
“Things are getting scary in Estcourt. There have been a number of shootings in the community. A friend, Shiven Juggernath, who owned Jess Towing Services, was also fatally shot in January. I hope that we get justice for my wife’s shooting.”
In other incidents, a couple were killed on January 4 while seated in their car in the Estcourt CBD. Then, on February 10, Inkosi Zwelakhe Mthiyane was shot in front of his wife, and three days later two people were killed and three others injured when gunmen opened fire on a minibus taxi in the Wembezi area.
Alf Lees, the DA uThukela constituency head, said the party had submitted a parliamentary question to Bheki Cele, the Minister of Police, earlier this month.
The party wanted to know what progress had been made in investigations into the killings in Estcourt.
“But we are yet to get a response. The repeated incidents of shootings and murders in Estcourt are to be condemned in the strongest terms.
“The question remains, why does it seem that none of the perpetrators of these murders in public places during daylight have been charged, convicted, and sent to prison for life? What action has the police taken to collect evidence and make arrests?
“What plan does Bheki Cele have to keep our Estcourt communities safe?”
The recently released third-quarter crime statistics, from October to December 2022, recorded 1 821 killings in KwaZulu-Natal.
Thenjiswa Ngcobo, a provincial police spokesperson, said the incidents were under investigation.
THE Sibaya Community Trust has donated R4.1 million towards the Bayview Flats Residents Association’s (BFRA) project to build a multi-purpose community centre .
The sod-turning ceremony for the Bayview Ubuntu Community Centre was held on Monday.
Brandon Pillay, the chairperson of the BFRA and an ANC MP, said: “Where do I begin? This is truly history in the making and a first for our community.
“This building used to belong to the former House of Delegates. It was a welfare house. The city then inherited the site and building but never used it.
“The late Lenny Naidoo also used this building as a meeting place when the ANC was banned during apartheid.
“Growing up in Bayview, no matter what apartheid threw at us, we had a sense of survival and community. We had our gangs and poverty. But we also had each other.”
Pillay said his journey to civic activism began with a visit from the late freedom fighter Fatima Meer, which later led to the founding of the BFRA in 1999.
“In 1998, she came to Bayview during a time of invasion and electricity cut-offs. She was a leader and professor.
“She had been jailed and banned, yet was still humble. This lady inspired me. It was from then that I became the leader of the BFRA.”
He said it was his mission to give back to his community.
“I was committed to being the change I wanted to see around me. Our community faces poverty, substance abuse, high employment, gender-based violence (GBV), and many other issues.”
Pillay said the project would enable programmes such as a daily soup kitchen; a medical camp; an advice desk for young people, the vulnerable and the elderly; a hub for programmes on GBV, skills development and job creation; and programmes around drug rehabilitation and substance abuse.
It would also provide a centre of hope – a temporary safe house for victims of GBV and related issues.
Vivian Reddy, the chairperson of the Sibaya Community Trust, said it had donated R250 million to projects across KwaZulu-Natal thus far.
“A lot of people live in cocoons and don’t see this side of South Africa. We commend all those who give so much to their communities. Those are the kind of people that we support.
“We believe this project will be successful and we look forward to cutting the ribbon upon its completion.”
Nonhlanhla Khoza, the MEC for Social Development, said the ceremony was a historic one.
“This project has come to such a deserving community and we are proud to be part of this momentous occasion. It is in line with the work that the social development department does.
“As a department, we cannot meet all the needs of the people in the province due to budgetary constraints. We rely on people such as Vivian Reddy and organisations to partner with us so we can fast track the dream of a better life for everyone in the country.”
She said the project, which was scheduled to be completed in July, was a symbol of hope for the community.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Sibaya Community Trust partnered with Child Welfare Durban and District for a sod turning ceremony to rebuild the Edith Benson Babies Home in Sherwood.
The home was gutted by a fire in March five years ago, which displaced more than 60 babies. Reddy said the trust donated R7.5 million to ensure the rebuilding of the babies’ home.