Vernon Philander thankful for support of SA public
|Published
South African cricket star Vernon Philander has thanked the public for their messages of support following the murder of his younger brother, Tyrone, on Wednesday.
Tears of disbelief flowed in Ravensmead when Tyrone, 32, was shot while collecting water from a community tap for his girlfriend.
While the motive behind the shooting is unknown, residents gathering at the scene in Webner Street said Tyrone was not a gangster and described him as sweet and down-to-earth.
In a statement released by the family on Thursday, Vernon said: “Our family is coming to terms with the brutal murder in my hometown of Ravensmead earlier today.
“I would like to ask that the family’s privacy be respected during this difficult time.
“The murder is now the subject of a police investigation and we respectfully ask that the media give the police the space to conduct a thorough investigation.
“There are no details around the incident at the moment and speculation will make it very difficult for us as a family to mourn in peace. Tyrone is forever in our hearts. May his soul rest in peace.”
I would like to confirm the following and wish that our family's wish to allow us to mourn be respected. Thank you all for the love and support🙏 https://t.co/ciyEt8VYLT
— Vernon Philander (@VDP_24) October 7, 2020
Meanwhile, the Ravensmead Community Police Forum (CPF) called for a meeting with SAPS saying Tyrone was the seventh person to be murdered in the area in recent gang violence.
“The CPF conveyed our proposed plan to be taken to the community for input and endorsement to also get answers from SAPS on what they are doing. The CPF will arrange immediate different open air meetings at the hotspot areas with our affecting communities and get the buy-in of community support for a full mass rolling plan of action against this violence.”