Victim’s family consider if SA remains an option
THE distraught parents of Durban businessman Kidesh Ramjettan, who was gunned down outside his petrol station in August, are contemplating whether to return to South Africa.
They are living with a relative in Mauritius and are considering their future, said Ramjettan’s elder brother Anesh Balraj.
The triggerman, Ayanda Shezi, was handed a life sentence in the Durban regional court on Friday for killing Ramjettan.
He said he was promised R30 000 to kill the 34-year-old but received only R12 000 for the contract killing.
Balraj said although they welcomed the sentence, his parents were struggling to deal with their son’s death.
“When the accused were arrested and the court proceedings were about to start, my brother Omesh and I decided it was better they leave the country than sit here and worry. They are with my dad’s sister in Mauritius.”
He said his parents, who were relieved when they were told about the sentencing, relied on Ramjettan for their care and often questioned why he was shot.
Balraj said Ramjettan’s wife cried continually and was “taking it one day at a time”.
A day before sentencing, Shezi, 37, a taxi driver in Johannesburg, pleaded guilty to the murder.
Ramjettan, who owned Glaze Motors in Rossburgh, was talking to a customer when he was shot in the back of the neck. The hit was captured on CCTV.
Shezi’s legal aid attorney, Sanjeev Juglal, said his client accepted the job because he needed the money.
He said Shezi had four children to support and the R2 000 he earned as a taxi driver was insufficient.
The court was also told Shezi’s aunt had died and the family did not have money for the funeral.
This prompted him to accept the job. Magistrate Samuel Luthuli said it was clear greed was the motive for the heinous offence.
“The shooting was preplanned in Johannesburg. The accused came, did the shooting and went to his homestead in Ulundi, where he lived for three days. He thereafter went back home and continued with life. After his arrest (after two months), he made the confession.
“I am not satisfied that he was truly remorseful for the shooting. If he was, why did he not hand himself over to police when he realised he did something wrong?”
The two others implicated in the murder, Menziwa Mdaka and Zakhele Dubazane, are in Westville prison. They are due in court on November 22, when a date for a bail application is expected to be set.