Somali Oupa Photo for R100
An elderly Somali man, 70, is fighting for his life after being shot in the chest inside his tuck shop in Parkwood on Tuesday morning for refusing to hand over R100 to an armed assailant.
The incident occurred on Heath Road at approximately 6:10 AM, as the shop owner, affectionately known as Oupa or Bai within his community, was preparing to open for the day.
When the Daily Voice arrived, everything seemed normal, with customers inquiring about Oupa’s condition.
The man’s nephew shared: “He was in the process of opening up when a young boy, appearing to be around 18 years old, asked him for R100. When my uncle refused, the boy pulled out a gun and shot him.”
“They are demanding protection money. They’ve approached us before, asking for fees or food, but we’ve always said no. Typically, they would just leave, but this is the first time it escalated to gunfire.”
“We rushed my uncle to the hospital, where he is set to undergo surgery. We are now scared, uncertain about whether they will return to attack us again. What if they come back next time and actually kill us?”
A local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed her sorrow over Oupa’s situation and hopes for his recovery.
She stated, “Bai is always kind to us, he is great. I frequently buy my supplies from him. We call him Shoprite because his prices are so low. He typically opens early in the morning for the workers and schoolchildren.”
“These guys are specifically targeting foreign shop owners for money in the neighborhood.”
Sergeant Wesley Twigg, a spokesperson for the South African Police Service in the Western Cape, confirmed that an attempted murder case is currently under investigation at Grassy Park SAPS.
Twigg stated, “The circumstances surrounding the incident are still being investigated, and no arrests have been made thus far. The motive behind the attack is yet to be determined.”
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS mobile application anonymously.