- A man was fatally shot in the back while cycling home from work on Bottelary Road in Brackenfell, sparking widespread outrage.
- The motive for the murder remains unknown, and the victim, described as a hardworking and dedicated individual with three young children, was not robbed during the attack.
- The incident has prompted calls for increased policing and law enforcement presence in the area to prevent such tragedies.
Brackenfell police are investigating a case of murder following the death of a man who was shot in the back while cycling home from work on Sunday evening last week.
The 41-year-old, identified as Lu Booysen, was spotted lying on the side of Bottelary Road just past Botfontein Road by motorists who alerted emergency services at around 19:50.
Medical-response teams arrived to find him already dead with two gunshot wounds in the back, according to paramedic Kobus Kotze of Titanium Medical response.
Kotze told TygerBurger that the victim must have been cycling at the time of the attack, shot from behind.
said Kotze.
A motive for the murder is not known at this stage.
Booysen worked as a general worker for a business in Protea Heights.
According to his employer Francois Nieuwoudt he had three young children at home, the youngest of which a four-month-old baby.
“He was a hard worker, quiet and dedicated and would even work on a Sunday, if needed,” he said.
According to Nieuwoudt, Booysen left for home at about 18:20.
“He lived on a farm on Bottelary Road and would have stopped at the container shop close to the Botfontein Road on his way home,” he said. “The circumstances of his death are strange, as he was not robbed of anything and still had his cellphone and money on him,” said Nieuwoudt.
Community outraged
The community expressed their outrage on social media. Heydenrych Botha pointed out. “Criminals roam the streets with guns. It is so sad.”
“We need more visible policing, traffic officers and law enforcement on Bottelary and Botfontein Road,” wrote Dominique Swanlow. “What a sick world we live in.”
