Mother reveals son's final moments before kidnapping and murder

A PHOENIX mother shared her devastating experience after her son, an e-hailing driver and community policing forum member, was kidnapped and murdered by an alleged syndicate targeting drivers in the area.

Another driver revealed he narrowly escaped the same fate a week earlier.

Four suspects – including two minors - have been arrested and charged for the murder of Muhammed Muzaffar Saib, 24, of Whetstone.

Shaakira Saib said her son Muzaffar had disappeared soon after he had dropped off passengers in Shawham Place, Westham, last Monday just after 9pm.

She said he had been stabbed and assaulted, and she thought he was making his way home when he collapsed and died in a stream at Rydalvale Grounds in Whetstone last Wednesday.

His body was found 200 metres away from his home.

KZN police spokesperson Captain Ntathu Ndlovu said Muzaffar’s vehicle was recovered after it had been abandoned in Bhambayi. 

“Preliminary investigations indicated that a known suspect was seen driving the abandoned vehicle. The suspect was tracked down by police and brought in for questioning. On Wednesday, police arrested three more suspects,” she said.

The suspects are expected to apply for bail in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court next week.

This week a distraught Saib detailed how her worst nightmare unfolded when her son failed to return home.

“Last Monday I was sick and Muzaffar took me to the doctor in the evening. On the way back home he bought me a milkshake and chocolate cake. When we got home, I was sleepy from the medication. He told me to have the treats in the morning. That was the last time I saw my baby.

“On Tuesday morning we tried calling him. Muzaffar was due to take us somewhere. He did not answer his phone. His girlfriend said he had left her house at 9pm to drop off passengers who had booked a trip with him.

“We then reported a missing person and began searching for him. Some of the neighbours and security officers went out on foot, while others searched in vehicles. The day turned into night and we never stopped searching,” she said.

Saib said in the two days of searching for her son, she never thought he would be found dead.

“I held onto hope of him returning home. We did not sleep until Thursday night. Neighbours and relatives stayed awake with us for more than 48 hours during our search for him,” said Saib.

“I thought he could have been a victim of a hijacking, and that he had been left somewhere. When his car was found in Bhambayi on Tuesday night, I had hope of him coming home. 

“On Wednesday my husband received a call and was told that our son’s body was found at the Rydalvale Grounds near our home. Identifying my son’s body was my worst nightmare,” she added.

“I think he was injured and he was making his way home when he fell and died in the stream at the park near our house. I will miss everything about him. He made our house alive. He was close to his grandmother, and she is battling to come to terms with his death. He would poke fun at her, play with her, and sit on her lap and hug her.”

Muzaffar’s father, Aslam, said his son had plans to enlist the SAPS next month.

“He dreamed of being a policeman. He would have turned 25 next month. He worked as an active member of the Phoenix Community Policing Forum (CPF) Sector 1. In December, he was awarded with a certificate from the CPF for his excellent work. He was instrumental in working to recover stolen vehicles, and worked closely with security companies, the CPF, and police,” said Aslam.

“We are calling for justice. The teenage boys who were arrested have previous cases against them. The head of the syndicate is 16-years-old. They were released into their parents' custody. Now they are committing more crimes. Where are their parents when they are kidnapping and killing people at night, when they are supposed to be at home and under parental supervision?

“We are calling for the community, security companies, CPF and organisations to join us in our call for bail to be denied when they appear in court next week."

E-hailing driver escapes kidnapping by syndicate

Another e-hailing driver from Phoenix, who did not want to be named for fear of his safety, said he regretted not speaking up about how he was kidnapped and held at a house in Shawham Place in Westham a week before Muzaffar's  disappearance.

The 31-year-old man said he and Muzaffar were friends, and he decided to speak out before “anyone else is killed by the gang”.

“I picked the three boys up from Shawham Place two weeks ago. I took them to Brookdale to buy food and when I got back to Shawham Place to drop them off, they told me they could not pay me and that I should come into the house to get the money. I refused as this was not how we operate. They then cornered me and took my keys. 

“I tried to get the keys back, but they locked the gate behind me, and kept asking me to come into the house. They own three vicious dogs. I could not get out of the yard. They were discussing in isiZulu how they were going to assault and rob me. The teenage Indian boy speaks fluent isiZulu.

“They took my phone and withdrew money from my account. They demanded more money, so I asked them to allow me to make a phone call. I called my friend and he told them not to assault me, and that he was on his way to us with money.

“He came with the police. The police threatened them and they gave back my keys and released me from the yard. I did not open any charges because they knew my identity and I feared for the safety of my family,” the man claimed.

He said he stayed home after the incident and was scared to go back to work. 

“When I heard about Muzaffar’s disappearance, and that his vehicle was last seen in Shawham Place, I knew it was the same syndicate.

“But I never thought they would go to the extent of killing him. I joined in the search, and was there until his body was found. E-hailing drivers are not safe anymore. We are easy targets because the criminals call us to them under the guise that they are requesting transportation, but they are actually luring us to rob and kill us. 

“We take the necessary safety precautions and do not accept rides where the client is not a regular app user, but we are becoming victims daily.

“I hope the four men arrested are denied bail, and that police work to make more arrests, as there are more people involved in this syndicate,” the man said.

THE POST