A BISHOP Lavis mother has described the death of her son as her heart leaving her body after he was gunned down next to the railway line in Clarke Estate, Elsies River, on Saturday.
Tributes have been pouring in on social media for Luciano Johannes, 35, aka Choka, who worked on the Bishop Lavis-Elsies River route and occasionally on the Belville-Cape Town route as a taxi gaatjie.
His mother, Patricia Johannes, said that the circumstances surrounding her son’s death remain a mystery.
She said he was on drugs, but not involved in any gangsterism.
Johannes said she last saw her son on Friday evening and got the news on Saturday morning that his body was by the railway line.
The heartbroken mother explained: “On Friday, it was my youngest son’s birthday, and they were chilling and braaiing. At around 8pm, he told Luciano to stay and chill with them, but Luciano said he was going to Clarke Estate to see his girlfriend of about three weeks.
“On Saturday morning, I heard a lot of shots going off and I started praying to the Lord om die dood’s engel af te sny.
“Around 8am, there was a knock on the door. A klong came to tell me my son is dead and he is lying at the train tracks. I did not believe it because Luciano does not walk there, but when I got there, I saw it was my son.
“His girlfriend says he was not with her. I don’t know where he was. I am assuming that he came from Parow because he also gambles and usually that is where the taxi would drop him, then he crosses the railway to get home.
“They [the killers] probably tried to rob him because he did not have shoes on. I don’t know for sure.
“He was very humble. He smoked buttons and dagga on and off, but he was never disrespectful to me or had any complaints about him being rude. He was always home. Everyone knew him because he worked on the taxi.
“I am still in disbelief. It feels like my heart is leaving my body. I am going to miss him so much."
Police spokesperson Constable Ndakhe Gwala said the matter is under investigation.
Gwala confirmed: “On Saturday, 31 January 2026, at around 8am, Elsies River police attended a complaint of a shooting at the corner of Clark Avenue and Emms Way. Upon arrival at the scene, they found a body of a 35-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his head and right hand.
“He was declared dead on the scene by medical personnel and a case of murder was opened. The circumstances surrounding the shooting incident are under investigation.”