“I warned my children not to look out of the window. I told my wife to put the volume on the TV louder. I didn’t want them to see the horror that was unfolding in broad daylight.”
These are the words of a Durban father, who on Monday described the harrowing scenes that played out in full view as he looked out of his window and saw two men being beheaded on Taurus Street in Shallcross, south of Durban, on Monday.
The men are believed to be hired guns who had shot and killed suspected drug kingpin Yaganathan Pillay, commonly known as Teddy Mafia, shortly after 2pm. They were killed in cold blood in retaliation for the apparent hit.
The man, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was watching television with his family when he heard shots ring out.
Having lived in the area for a number of years, he knew the gunshots had to be linked to Teddy Mafia.
“This time it was about 50 gunshots. We instinctively moved away from the windows and locked the doors. Then there was silence,” he said.
He then heard men and women shouting, so he peeped out his window. Though he does not live on the same road where the incident occurred, he had full view of what went on.
“I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could see people gathering near Teddy’s home. A vehicle sped off, while others ran to what looked like bodies on the ground,” he said.
The man said he will never forget the sound of the axe’s blade hitting the ground as two men were beheaded in full view of residents, including children. Afterwards, a group of men and women covered the headless bodies with wood.
Sunday Times Daily is in possession of video footage showing members of the community beating the men, who are lying facedown on the road while gunshots can be heard.
“They set it alight. By then the police had arrived on scene and the community, at least that’s who I believe killed the two men, started shooting at the cops,” the man said.
He saw people tossing around one of the heads.
“I can’t even describe it without feeling sick to my stomach. It was like these people were possessed. There were children walking around while their parents inspected a head. It was savage,” he said.
Hours later, gunshots could still be heard in the neighbourhood.
“Right now, I am worried about what is to come. News that Teddy has died is spreading. It will be war here. I won’t sleep tonight because I am traumatised by what I saw, but also because I am worried about our safety,” he said.
A police officer and one of the first respondents at the scene told Sunday Times Daily that it was complete mayhem.
“We responded to the scene. We had received a call of a beheading taking place. We could not get close. The community were stoning our cars and shots were being fired. In a situation as volatile as that, it is difficult to return fire or force your way in because there were so many pedestrians and children around,” the officer said.
He said he did not witness the beheadings, but recalled how plumes of smoke bellowed into the overcast sky, casting a shadow of horror.
“This was mob justice at its worst. I have never seen anything like it. When I got on the scene they had begun burning the bodies. We waited and called for backup. Members of Public Order Police from SAPS and Metro police arrived and dispersed the crowds with stun grenades and rubber bullets.”
He questioned the bigger intentions of those who took the law into their hands by killing the two alleged hitmen.
“I don’t know if they realise what they have done. They have interfered with the forensic process. Maybe they didn’t want us to know the identities of the men; maybe they knew something we didn’t,” he said.
SAPS spokesperson Brig Jay Naicker confirmed the incident, saying a shooting took place “at a known drug dealer’s home” on Taurus Street.
This was mob justice at it’s worst. I have never seen anything like it. When I got on the scene they had begun burning the bodies. We waited and called for backup.
“It is alleged that at about 2pm, the owner of the property, known as Teddy Mafia, had informed his daughter that he was expecting visitors. Upon arrival of the suspects at their home, the daughter proceeded to the back of their property where she heard gunshots. The daughter then established that her father had been shot,” said Naicker.
The community caught the two alleged shooters before they could escape.
“The community apprehended both suspects and set them alight, thereafter beheading both. When police officers arrived at the scene the community opened fire at them,” he said.
The public order policing unit dispersed the crowd, with no injuries reported.
“Teddy Mafia succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. Police did not seize any firearms at the scene. At this stage, it is unknown if the suspects were on foot or in a vehicle. Police will investigate three dockets of murder,” said Naicker.
Pillay was arrested on April 30 last year during a raid at his home, where police allegedly found unlicensed firearms, R700,000 in cash, and gold and silver coins with an estimated value of R250,000.
Charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, Pillay was released on R5,000 bail at the Chatsworth magistrate’s court and ordered to appear at the local police station twice a week.
His arrest followed a spate of hitman-like murders in Shallcross and surrounding areas, after Pillay’s son was gunned down on March 12 in a drive-by shooting.
It is understood that Devendren Lionel Pillay, 32, and Claudene Rampersad, 32, had been standing in the driveway of Rampersad’s home on Alpine Drive, Shallcross, when a white Toyota Corolla, with a number of occupants, drove past and fired multiple shots — killing the pair.
A source close to the investigation said an ongoing turf war in the area had resulted in close to 10 murders within months.
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