Can a murderer change his spots? Questions remain after ‘family man’ is gunned down

Farouk Meyer is a man with a chequered past. He’s a convicted murderer and a prison escapee, and on Monday he was brutally gunned down in Eldorado Park in what appeared to be a hit related to his underworld connections.

But many say Meyer was reformed – a businessman who did community work and a family man who was a pillar of strength when times were tough. His family wants justice for the murder.

On Monday evening, Meyer and another man, identified as Marcus Ryan, died in a hail of bullets near an auto spares shop on Boundary Road

When their father Rashied was found murdered and dumped near their home, Meyer was the one who stepped up and cared for the family.

Gauteng police spokesperson Brig Mathapelo Peters said according to preliminary reports, a witness heard gunshots and on investigation noticed a vehicle riddled with bullet holes. The driver, believed to be Ryan, was declared dead on the scene, while Meyer succumbed to injuries and was declared dead in hospital.

Meyer, a father of eight, was laid to rest on Wednesday.

Meyer made headlines in 2009 after he escaped from prison, but even that came with context. Sowetan reported at the time that Meyer said he escaped to prove he was being framed for the murders of three people killed at a nightclub in Roodepoort.

He reportedly contacted the justice department and said he’d hand himself in if his case would be reopened. He did hand himself over, but his request was seemingly not fulfilled. He called Radio 702 before handing himself in.

Crime activist Yusuf Abramjee, who at the time was the head of anonymous tip-off service Crime Line, said Meyer called him while he was still on the run.

“I convinced him to hand himself over to police, which he did. It took place at the Sandton police station,” he said.

According to a 2013 Supreme Court of Appeal judgment, the shooting at Club 12 Play in Roodepoort on October 17 1999 was linked to gang frictions. Meyer was convicted in 2002 on three counts of murder (two of which carried life sentences), one count of attempted murder, one count of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of an unknown quantity of ammunition – even though he claimed he was acting in self-defence.

The SCA upheld his convictions but reduced his two life terms to 24 years in prison. It also ordered that all his sentences run concurrently.

Meyer was released on parole in 2014 after assistance from the Wits Justice Project in having the sentences changed.

But this past did not reflect who Meyer was, his family said in the wake of his murder on Monday night. For the family, Meyer was a pillar of strength in times of need.

His sister Shareen told Sunday Times Daily Meyer was her “better half” and someone she “struggled with side by side during tough times”.

“We grew up very poor. There were days when we went to bed without food,” she said.

When their father Rashied was found murdered and dumped near their home, Meyer was the one who stepped up and cared for the family.

From his past he had a lot of enemies. One couldn’t point out one. There was a whole lot of bad things that he had done, but in the last moments we got to see a lot of good.

—  Peter Rafferty, DA ward councillor

“This is what you call a great role model. All those who have been speaking bad about him, in their times of need he also played a special role in their lives,” she said.

According to Shareen, the businessman owned a property that hosted weddings and parties. Farouk also owned a towing company, and bought and sold vehicles at auctions, she said.

She said her brother was also involved in construction projects and did work to uplift his community.

“We ... will always love you. We thank God for blessing us with a special brother like you and for the role you played in our lives. We will always have special loving memories,” she said.

DA ward councillor for Eldorado Park Peter Rafferty said he grew up with Meyer, and watched as he transitioned from a notorious gangster to a philanthropist within the community, assisting businesspeople and locals in trying to help them find work. 

Rafferty told Sunday Times Daily he spoke to Meyer on the day he was gunned down. 

“At  around 12.10pm I spoke to him. It was just a general chat. He called to see how the family was and so on,” said Rafferty. 

He said he could not be 100% certain that Meyer had completely reformed, and acknowledged that he would have had a lot of enemies from his past transgressions. 

“From his past he had a lot of enemies. One couldn’t point out one. There was a whole lot of bad things that he had done, but in the last moments we got to see a lot of good. So we got to see another side of Farouk than what people knew him for, car hijacker and all of those things. We got to see another side of Farouk in his last moments. 

“From what I know from our engagements it was more on the business side of things. He was dealing with construction contracts and so on. The one side tells me that this is the business person – there are a lot of people who used to fear him and those who loved him. But on the same token, some of these things never leave us as human beings – if you’re used to something. But I’m not saying he was continuing to do those things but you never know,” he said. 

Rafferty said Meyer was the chair of the local business forum and had assisted on a number of projects in the area. “There was the Eldorado substation where he assisted contractors when they were getting underpaid. He was the one who went to the mayor’s office and to the office of the MEC in trying to ensure that our local SMMEs are not taken for a ride,” he said.