The family of a missing man was dealt a heavy blow upon learning that his body had been discovered in the boot of his car in Mitchells Plain on Sunday morning.
Ridaah Sasman and his Renault Megane were found in the driveway of a house in Sunset Road in Morgan’s Village after someone had tried to sell his takkies to his family.
The 30-year-old’s hands and feet were tied and he had multiple stab wounds to his back.
The well-known car mechanic from Beacon Valley had been reported missing on Friday after he did not return home from dropping off one of his workers.
A family member, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “We found out when a group of guys came and tried to sell takkies to Ridaah’s family [at 2am on Sunday].
“His aunty recognised the shoes and asked the sellers to take them to where they got the takkies from,” the Ridaah’s cousin Tasneem Salie, 37, said that his mom became concerned as the worker he went to drop lives close by.
“My aunt called the guy who lives in Lentegeur and he said Ridaah left because he still watched how he drove over the bridge,” she added.
“My aunty tried calling him but then got a message from Ridaah asking her to send a R2 000 to him because his car broke down in Philippi.
“My aunty found it strange because why would he ask her for money, he then knows about cars and he would’ve messaged one of us to tow him.”
Tasneem explained that soon after receiving the message, her cousin’s phone was switched off.
“We got someone to ping his phone and it was last picked up in Philippi and then Langa. Our family drove around that whole night into Saturday looking for him,” she said.
A relative at the scene said the man living at the house in Sunset Road knew Ridaah as he had sold him a car before.
The relative said the man was nowhere to be found on Sunday.
A neighbour claimed he saw the man pushing Ridaah’s car with two other women on Saturday evening.
“That’s the same car we saw in the main road that was pushed by two females and the guy living at that house, but I didn’t find it strange because he works on cars and he lives with his mommy there,” he added.
Tasneem said her cousin was a good person who looked after his family.
“His mother was very happy with him, he was the person who would give his last to the next person,” she said.
“He wasn’t a gangster, so he didn’t deserve to die like this.”
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg confirmeda case of murder is being investigated with no arrests made yet.
Anyone with any information about this incident can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za