The president of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has called on authorities to take decisive action against kidnap syndicates following the horrific murder of Lansdowne businessman Khalid Parker.
Parker was shot and killed during an alleged kidnapping on Friday morning.
Tears of disbelief flowed at the murder scene in Lockerby Road in Lansdowne, where the body of the 40-year-old father could be seen covered with a blanket after he was shot in the head.
Family and friends gathered to console his father, Sieraaj. Khalid was his only son.
Graphic footage of the shooting was released on social media showing Parker arriving at his business premises shortly after 10am.
He is seen parking his car and crossing the road when he is approached by three men.
A struggle takes place as they are seen grabbing him and seemingly try to get him into their silver Hyundai.
Some of his employees rush outside to assist him but as one of the skurke pointed a gun, they step back and one of the men shoots Parker in the head before they speed off.
Police spokesperson sergeant Wesley Twigg says no arrests have been made.
“Lansdowne police registered a murder case for investigation,” he says.
“The unknown suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested. The motive for the attack is yet to be established.”
On Saturday, hundreds of mourners gathered at Masjidul Quds in Gatesville where they attended Parker’s janaazah.
The dad was hailed as a good person who did not deserve to die in such a brutal manner.
Addressing mourners, MJC president Sheikh Irfaan Abrahams said enough was enough and that the community wanted action.
“This young man defended himself to fight against those who wanted to take him, but Allah knows best,” said Abrahams.
“Something needs to be done and I will call a meeting with the presidency and all those affected by disasters such as kidnapping and hijacking.
“This is the end of the line, enough is enough.
“We need to make our voices heard and I received a message today to say if we don’t do anything, the people will take the law into their own hands.
“We are going to persevere and be strong and fight the evil as long as we do things in a dignified manner and stand together as a team.”
He said Parker’s death should not be in vain: “Make the government and the authorities aware that we are taking action and if they are not coming to the party, then we will do things on our own.”
Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith, on Friday afternoon met with international experts on kidnapping syndicates.
Smith says it was clear that there is a kidnapping crisis in South Africa.
“Coincidently I had scheduled a meeting for this afternoon between several of our senior officials and representatives from a renowned, international consulting group who has specialised in kidnappings and extortion training,” he added.
“Instead of waiting for national government and minister Bheki Cele to find a solution, we are exploring ways in which the City can become better equipped to protect our citizens in this regard.”
According to the latest crime figures released by Saps, 42.1% of kidnapping cases in SA were connected to hijackings, while 2.5% and 0.5% were ransom kidnappings and human trafficking respectively.
Smith said the City had established that syndicates are targeting individuals who have quick access to money, while are using social media as a hunting ground.
“These targets are then explored so as to identify their ‘pressure points’.
“Social media has become the number one tool for those in organised crime.
“Each and every person should review their privacy settings on social media and ensure their info, posts and photos are set to private and only available to a small, select friend’s audience.”
Anyone with info about Parker’s murder can call detective sergeant Amin Qolo on 073 018 1000.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za