MOMENTS after Mason Pillay was gunned down in a robbery outside his Phoenix home, his attackers returned to the scene to make sure he was dead.
Pillay, 35, a manager at a speed point company, from Whetstone, was reversing out of his driveway in his VW Golf 1, to go to work, when he was accosted by two armed men.
A relative, who did not want to be named due to safety concerns, said the incident happened around 7.30am.
“He got ready for work and as he left the house, he told his wife and children that he loved them and would see them later. He was reversing out of the driveway when two armed men, who were on foot, approached the car. They stood on either side of the car and held Mason at gunpoint. The man at the driver’s side demanded his wallet and cellphone. Mason also had a gun. We believe that as he reached to get his wallet and cellphone, the suspect may have seen the gun and opened fire on him.”
The relative said Pillay was shot multiple times.
“The suspects also walked to the front of the car and shot at the windscreen before fleeing towards the nearby Bhambayi informal settlement, with Mason’s wallet, cellphone and the gun.”
He said an injured Pillay had managed to open the car door but had fallen.
“The suspects saw this and ran back to the scene. They turned him over to make sure he was dead and then ran off.”
He said Pillay’s wife was hysterical and screamed for help.
“KZN VIP Security was driving by at the time and they stopped to assist. Unfortunately, Mason did not survive.”
He said Pillay’s children, aged 16 and 5, were devastated by their father’s death.
“In recent months, crime has really gone from bad to worse in our community. Robberies are out of control. It is difficult to accept that Mason’s life was taken so cruelly. We pray his killers are caught and brought to book.”
Mark Nadasen, the spokesperson for the Phoenix Community Police Forum, said there had been four serious and violent shootings in recent months.
“This area has become a hotspot. We believe there is a syndicate operating, targeting people who commute to work. They are mainly after cellphones and cash.”
Nadasen said they were working with police and private security companies to increase patrols.
The POST