Anti-Crime Activist Eric Dili Shot Dead in Kenton-on-Sea While Collecting Items for Family Ceremony

• Well-known anti-drug and crime activist Eric Dili was fatally shot in Tana Square, Ekuphumleni
• Police say Dili had briefly left his home to collect items for a family traditional ceremony when he was confronted and shot by three unknown men
• The attackers hijacked a nearby Toyota Fortuner to flee the scene, but the vehicle was later found abandoned just outside Kenton-on-Sea

Nerissa Naidoo, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, previously worked as an editor, content creator, researcher, and ghostwriter before joining the team.

EASTERN CAPE, KENTON-ON-SEA - Anti-drug and crime activist Eric Dili was shot and killed on Saturday, 19 April 2026, in Tana Square, Ekuphumleni, in Kenton-on-Sea. Dili, who chaired the Kenton Crime Forum and was a presenter at community radio station Ndlambe FM, had left his home to collect items needed for a family traditional ceremony when the attack happened. Police spokesperson Captain Marius McCarthy confirmed that officers received a call about a shooting at 9pm and arrived to find Dili lying behind the vehicle he had been driving.

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Activist shot by three unknown men

McCarthy said Dili was allegedly confronted and shot in the upper body by three unknown men. After the shooting, the attackers approached a Toyota Fortuner parked nearby, forced the occupants out of the vehicle, and used it to flee the scene. The hijacked SUV was later recovered abandoned just outside Kenton-on-Sea. A murder investigation has since been opened, and police are urging anyone with information to come forward.

Who was Eric Dili?

Dili was a well-known figure across the Ndlambe Local Municipality, recognised for his work steering young people away from drugs and crime. A rehabilitated former prisoner, he had served 22 years of a reduced sentence, originally 116 years which was later reduced to 53, for crimes including armed robbery and murder. After his release, he turned his life around completely, dedicating himself to motivational speaking and running youth-focused programmes in the area. He used platforms like radio and his own Eric Dili Community Development Forum to fight gender-based violence and substance abuse in his community.

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Source: Briefly News