Durban Family of 3 Gunned Down in Alleged Drug-Related Drive-By Shooting, SA Mourns: “Sad for the Little Girl”

Durban Family of 3 Gunned Down in Alleged Drug-Related Drive-By Shooting, SA Mourns: “Sad for the Little Girl”

  • A Durban couple and their nine-year-old daughter have been killed in a drive-by shooting in Springfield Park
  • The father, Brandon Kalicharan, was a suspected drug dealer and gang member under investigation by the Hawks
  • Citizens have mourned the death of the little girl, saying the nine-year-old suffered for her dad's criminal dealings

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DURBAN - A family of three from Durban were tragically killed in what appears to be a drug- and gang-related drive-by shooting on Tuesday, 21 March.

A Durban family of three has been killed in a drive-by shooting
A Durban family, including a nine-year-old girl, was killed in a drive-by shooting. Image: stock photo
Source: Getty Images

Brandon Kalicharan, his wife Jeconiah Pillay and their nine-year-old daughter were gunned down when the Volkswagen Amarok they were travelling in was sprayed with high-calibre bullets on Peters Road in Springfield Park.

Paramedics declared both Kalicharan and Pillay dead at the scene of the drive-by, while their child succumbed to her wounds after being rushed to hospital in critical condition, TimesLIVE reported.

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Durban man killed in drive-by shooting allegedly involved in drug and gang-related activities

According to police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda, Kalicharan was allegedly involved with drug and gang-related activities in the Chatsworth area.

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Netshiunda said the motive behind the drive-by remains unclear. However, preliminary investigations suggest that the deaths could be linked to Kalicharan's gang- and drug-related activities.

The 42-year-old man was believed to be part of a gang called the Dre-Boys and had been charged for the alleged murder of Gerald Arumugan in 2008, SowetanLIVE reported.

Kalicharan was also a person of interest in a case being investigated by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI).

South Africans question why the 9-year-old girl had to suffer for her dad's alleged sins

Here's what citizens are saying:

Enhle Mbali Mthethwa mourned:

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"Poor baby, may her innocent soul rest in peace."

Clayton Simba Sibanda grieved:

"My heart goes out to the little girl who had nothing to do with it."

Phala Kgalemone complained:

"Sad part is the family paid the price with their lives for being involved in such an activity."

Elesi-leigh Pootie Azumah commented:

"Durban is officially a mafia state."

Ulindy Harper added:

"Sad for the little girl... The innocent always suffer."

Morape Sekgobela said:

"That's what Durban it's all about, always killing. But why an innocent child?"

Bosasa liquidator Cloete Murray injured, son shot dead in alleged hit in Midrand, SA alarmed: “Crime too high”

In another story, Briefly News reported that insolvency practitioner Cloete Murray was killed in a suspected hit. Murray was travelling with his son Tom Murray on Saturday afternoon when unknown suspects opened fire on their vehicle.

According to News24, his son was killed in the incident and Murray was taken to the hospital in critical condition, later succumbing to his wounds.

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Riana Pretorius: Search for kidnapped Gqeberha woman continues following recovery of assailants’ car

The Midrand police are investigating cases of murder and attempted murder following the shooting incident.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Lerato Mutsila avatar

Lerato Mutsila (Current affairs editor) Lerato Mutsila is a journalist with 3 years of experience. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Pearson Institute of Higher Education in 2020, majoring in broadcast journalism, political science and communication. Lerato joined the Briefly News current affairs desk in August 2022. Mutsila is also a fellow of the 2021/2022 Young African Journalists Acceleration programme, which trained African journalists in climate journalism. You can contact Lerato at lerato.mutsila@breifly.co.za