Gauteng police have opened a murder and attempted-murder investigation after an alleged associate of former deputy Crime Intelligence boss Feroz Khan was shot dead on the R21 near OR Tambo International Airport.
Another person was wounded in the attack, while a third occupant managed to escape unharmed.
The shooting happened on Monday evening as the vehicle travelled in the direction of the airport. The circumstances surrounding the attack remain unclear, and no arrests have been made.
According to police, the incident began after a Fiat reportedly broke down on the highway. The driver then contacted a friend and asked for assistance.
The friend arrived at the scene with two other people. As the group attended to the vehicle, gunshots were fired at them.
The driver attempted to get away from the gunfire but lost control of the vehicle. The Fiat crashed into a jersey barrier, and the driver sustained fatal injuries.
He was declared dead at the scene.
“One passenger sustained a gunshot wound and was transported to hospital for medical treatment, while the third occupant managed to escape unharmed,” police said.
The identity of the deceased has not been released. However, the victim is understood to have been an associate of Khan, who is due to give evidence before the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday.
Khan’s testimony is expected to be heard in camera, meaning members of the public and the media will not be allowed to hear the evidence as it is given.
Police have not indicated that the R21 shooting is connected to Khan’s appearance before the commission. Investigators have also not disclosed a possible motive for the attack.
The timing of the killing is nevertheless likely to draw attention because Khan’s evidence is expected to deal with sensitive allegations linked to policing and Crime Intelligence.
The shooting and Khan’s commission appearance remain separate matters unless investigators establish a direct connection.
Gauteng police said detectives were working to establish exactly what happened on the highway and identify those responsible for the attack.
The murder investigation will focus on the moments before the shooting, the number of attackers involved, the direction from which the gunfire came and whether the suspects used another vehicle to approach or leave the scene.
Investigators are also expected to examine the Fiat, the impact with the jersey barrier and any evidence left on the road. Ballistic evidence, vehicle damage, cellphone records and traffic or security camera footage could help detectives reconstruct the attack.
The survivor who was wounded will be an important witness once medically stable. The third occupant, who escaped without injury, may also be able to provide investigators with information about the attackers and the events leading up to the shooting.
The fact that the vehicle had reportedly broken down will also form part of the inquiry. Police will need to establish whether the breakdown was genuine, whether the group was deliberately targeted and whether the attackers knew that the victim and the other occupants would be at that location.
At this stage, police have not confirmed whether the shooting was a random attack, a robbery, a targeted killing or the result of another dispute. No motive has been established.
The R21 is a major route connecting Pretoria, Johannesburg and OR Tambo International Airport. A shooting on the highway can create serious danger for other motorists, particularly if vehicles are forced to stop or crash while trying to escape gunfire.
The crash into the jersey barrier left the driver fatally injured. Emergency responders attended the scene, but paramedics could not save him.
The wounded passenger was taken to hospital for treatment. His condition has not been disclosed.
The third occupant’s escape could provide investigators with a vital account of what happened. Detectives are expected to compare the accounts of the surviving occupants with physical evidence collected from the scene.
The police investigation comes as Khan prepares to testify before the Madlanga Commission after a turbulent period in the police service.
Khan is a former deputy head of Crime Intelligence and has faced disciplinary and legal scrutiny connected to allegations before the commission. His evidence has been scheduled to take place behind closed doors because of the sensitive nature of the information expected to be presented.
The commission’s decision to hear his testimony in camera is intended to protect sensitive information and people who may be referred to during the proceedings. It also means that members of the public will not immediately have access to the full details of his evidence.
Khan’s appearance is expected to be closely watched because Crime Intelligence plays a central role in gathering and handling information about organised crime, threats to the state and high-risk investigations.
However, police have made no claim that the man killed on the R21 was targeted because of Khan’s testimony. Any link between the shooting and the commission will have to be established by evidence, not timing alone.
For now, the case is being treated as a murder and attempted murder. Investigators have not announced any suspects and no arrests have been made.
The deceased man’s family has not yet been publicly identified, and police have not released his name while efforts to notify relatives continue.
Detectives are appealing for information from anyone who witnessed the shooting, saw suspicious vehicles near the Fiat or travelled along the R21 at the time of the incident.
Dashcam footage, cellphone videos and information from motorists could help police identify the attackers and determine how the shooting unfolded.
The survivor and the uninjured occupant are expected to assist the investigation as police work to establish what led to the fatal attack.
The immediate priorities are to identify the deceased, secure evidence from the crash scene, locate the people responsible and determine whether the attack was planned.
Khan’s testimony before the Madlanga Commission is scheduled to proceed separately on Tuesday. Until police uncover evidence connecting the two events, the R21 shooting remains an unresolved murder case involving an alleged associate of the former Crime Intelligence boss.
For the victim’s family, however, the questions are immediate and painful: why the group was attacked while attending to a broken-down vehicle, who opened fire and why the driver was killed on one of Gauteng’s busiest roads.