DURBAN – The mother of Sasha-Lee Shah, a young woman who was gunned down by her ex-boyfriend at a popular Durban shopping mall, has launched a formal bid to review what she calls a "disrespectful" punishment handed to the police officer whose negligence led to her daughter’s death. Jessica Shah is fighting for accountability after it emerged that the officer failed to seize the murder weapon, despite a direct order from a court to do so.
Sasha-Lee, 25, was murdered in the parking lot of the Gateway Mall in October 2022. Her ex-boyfriend, Kyle Inderlall, shot her multiple times before turning the gun on himself. The tragedy was entirely preventable; a court had already ordered the South African Police Service (SAPS) to remove Inderlall’s firearm following a history of domestic violence and threats.
The Failure of the Phoenix Captain
The officer at the centre of the storm is a police captain who was assigned to the Phoenix Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit. In early 2022, a magistrate issued a formal order for the police to seize Inderlall’s gun. However, the captain failed to complete the process, allowing the lethal weapon to remain within his reach.
Internal police investigations found the captain guilty of misconduct in March 2023. However, the sanction she received—a two-month suspension without salary and a reassignment to a different unit—has been described by the Shah family and activists as a mere "slap on the wrist."
“In my respectful view, a sanction of only two months’ suspension without salary did not adequately reflect the gravity of the misconduct, the public interest in police accountability, or the devastating consequences arising from the failure to fully execute a court order intended to protect a victim of domestic violence,” Jessica Shah said in a statement.
Allegations of Continued Negligence
The case has taken a more disturbing turn with allegations that the same captain was involved in another domestic violence incident in December 2024, more than a year after her initial sanction. According to affidavits from Durban residents, the officer attended a scene in Phoenix involving assault and the pointing of a firearm.
The witnesses alleged that the captain failed to intervene when a woman was kicked to the ground in her presence. Furthermore, they claimed that a gun, which had allegedly been discharged into the air during the dispute, was not removed by the officer.
Jessica Shah has questioned why the captain was even deployed to such a sensitive scene. “Why was the captain deployed to an operational scene involving assault, a firearm, and allegations of gender-based violence after SAPS had already found her guilty of misconduct arising from her failure to properly execute a firearm removal order in a domestic violence matter?” she asked.
A Historic Prosecution
After years of pushing for action, Jessica Shah filed a criminal complaint against the captain in April 2025. In a significant victory for the family, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) authorised the prosecution of the officer for culpable homicide and contempt of court in February 2026.
This prosecution is seen as a landmark case in South Africa, where police officers are rarely held criminally liable for failures in domestic violence matters. However, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has yet to provide a timeline for the trial, and no formal summons has been served on the captain to date.
Dr Stanley Maphosa, the executive director of Gun Free South Africa, has thrown his weight behind the family’s quest for justice. He described the two-month suspension as "indefensible" and warned that it sends a dangerous message to the public.
“Two months’ suspension for ignoring a court order that directly led to a young woman’s death after she had pleaded for police to act is not accountability,” Dr Maphosa said. “It is secondary trauma to the family and continues to erode police trust with members of the public.”
The Lethal Risk of Firearms in the Home
The Sasha-Lee Shah case highlights a broader crisis in South Africa regarding firearms and domestic violence. According to Gun Free South Africa, firearms are the leading weapon used to kill women in the country. The presence of a gun in a home where domestic violence occurs increases the risk of a fatal outcome by up to five times.
Court-ordered firearm removals are specifically designed to mitigate this risk. When the police fail to carry out these orders, they not only leave victims exposed to lethal danger but also undermine the authority of the judiciary.
“Accountability is therefore essential, not only to ensure justice after failures occur, but to reinforce that court orders intended to protect lives must be treated as mandatory,” Dr Maphosa added.
A Mother’s Unending Fight
For Jessica Shah, the battle is about more than just her daughter; it is about ensuring that no other family has to endure the same preventable loss. She is currently awaiting a formal response from the SAPS regarding her representation to have the captain’s disciplinary sanction reviewed.
The KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, has declined to comment on the merits of the internal disciplinary process, stating that the police are "not at liberty to divulge" such details. However, he acknowledged that Jessica Shah has a constitutional right to seek justice.
As the legal proceedings slowly move forward, the memory of Sasha-Lee Shah remains a powerful symbol of the systemic failures that continue to plague South Africa’s response to gender-based violence. Her mother’s message is clear: a two-month suspension is not justice for a life taken away by a gun that should have been in police custody.
The case continues to draw widespread attention as the public waits to see if the National Prosecuting Authority will move swiftly to bring the negligent officer to trial. For now, the Shah family remains in a state of painful limbo, fighting a system that they believe failed them in the most devastating way possible.
