EKURHULENI, South Africa — Gauteng police are investigating murder and attempted murder after a driver was killed and a passenger wounded in a shooting on the R21 towards OR Tambo International Airport on Monday evening, 5 October.
Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the attack happened after a vehicle broke down and the driver called a friend for help. The motive remained unknown, and no arrests had been announced in the police account carried by news outlets on Tuesday morning.
TimesLIVE reported that the deceased was Preggy Padayachee, an associate and uncle-in-law of former senior police officer Feroz Khan. The police account quoted in the report did not name the deceased. That identification remains attributed to the outlet.
Shots fired after a call for roadside assistance
According to the preliminary police account reported by Jacaranda FM, the driver was travelling in a Fiat when the vehicle experienced a breakdown.
A friend arrived with two other people. Shots were fired while the group was attending to the vehicle.
The driver tried to escape the gunfire but lost control of the vehicle, which collided with a concrete jersey barrier. Police said he sustained fatal injuries and was declared dead at the scene.
One passenger suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to hospital. Another occupant escaped unharmed. The initial account did not give a further medical update on the wounded passenger.
The sequence describes the police’s preliminary reconstruction. It does not establish who opened fire or why the group was attacked.
Police have not established a motive
CRIME PREVENTION
R21 Shooting: Police Probe Driver’s Death and Wounding of a Passenger
Oct 6, 2026
Oct 6, 2026
3 min read
Published
Updated:
EKURHULENI, South Africa — Gauteng police are investigating murder and attempted murder after a driver was killed and a passenger wounded in a shooting on the R21 towards OR Tambo International Airport on Monday evening, 5 October.
Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the attack happened after a vehicle broke down and the driver called a friend for help. The motive remained unknown, and no arrests had been announced in the police account carried by news outlets on Tuesday morning.
TimesLIVE reported that the deceased was Preggy Padayachee, an associate and uncle-in-law of former senior police officer Feroz Khan. The police account quoted in the report did not name the deceased. That identification remains attributed to the outlet.
Shots fired after a call for roadside assistance
According to the preliminary police account reported by Jacaranda FM, the driver was travelling in a Fiat when the vehicle experienced a breakdown.
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A friend arrived with two other people. Shots were fired while the group was attending to the vehicle.
The driver tried to escape the gunfire but lost control of the vehicle, which collided with a concrete jersey barrier. Police said he sustained fatal injuries and was declared dead at the scene.
One passenger suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to hospital. Another occupant escaped unharmed. The initial account did not give a further medical update on the wounded passenger.
The sequence describes the police’s preliminary reconstruction. It does not establish who opened fire or why the group was attacked.
Police have not established a motive
“The motive for the shooting is currently unknown,” Nevhuhulwi said, according to Jacaranda FM.
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Kempton Express also carried the police account, reporting that investigators were working to establish the circumstances and identify those responsible.
Descriptions of the attack as a targeted killing have appeared in early coverage. The quoted police statement, however, does not establish that conclusion. It also does not identify a suspect or explain whether the attack was connected to any other investigation.
The murder and attempted-murder investigation is the confirmed procedural development. The identity of the attackers and any explanation for their actions remain matters for investigators.
Reported connection to Feroz Khan
TimesLIVE’s identification of Padayachee brings the incident into the public discussion surrounding Khan, who was expected to testify behind closed doors at the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday, 6 October.
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The timing of the shooting does not itself establish a connection to that testimony. No such connection was confirmed in the police account reviewed for this report.
Khan’s employment history is a separate matter. The South African government news service reported on 3 September that SAPS had confirmed his dismissal under its disciplinary regulations after he failed to appear before the designated senior officer handling an expedited disciplinary process.
XTRAfrica previously reported on Khan’s dismissal from SAPS. That employment decision does not determine responsibility for the R21 shooting or prove any criminal allegation involving Khan.
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