Cii News – July 20, 2012

The suburb of Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, on Thursday night again witnessed a senseless murder when Muhammad Iqbal ‘Bhaigora’ Dhudhia was shot and killed during an attempted hijacking . He was 68 years old.

According to his brother, Yusuf Dhudhia, Bhaigora returned from Esha Salaah after 7pm along with his son and Yusuf’s son-in- law, both named Zahid.

As they entered the driveway, Bhaigora opened his electric garage door and entered his home on Lenasia Drive opposite the Lenasia Station. The two younger men remained chatting in the vehicle outside.

According to Yusuf, two robbers then accosted them. “The two young men were talking in the car. Zahid, my son-in-law, ran in the house and closed the door and asked for them to call the police. My nephew Zahid [Bhaigora’s son] reversed the car into a wall next door. Bhaigora and his daughter ran out from the front garage.”

An armed robber confronted them. The gun went off and Bhaigora was shot in the chest. “The bullet embedded in his chest. There was very, very little blood. It was like when you cut your finger… He died instantly and that guy walked away,” said Yusuf. “He tried to get hold of Zahid. He shot at his car and hit the windscreen.”

Yusuf was composed as he told Cii what happened. “Ifs, buts and when. We will all ask how and why. But Allah knows best and your time is written.”

Cii’s Mufti, Abdool Kader Hoosen, said the manner of death classified Bhiagora as a shaheed of martyr. He also noted the fortune of death on a Friday (Islamically the night precedes the day).

This is the second time the family has lost a beloved in a criminal attack. Three years ago another Dhudhia brother was also shot and killed. Yusuf said the family is currently in trauma and appealed for duaa and prayer at this time of loss.

Yusuf however highlighted two points of concern. Police forensics only arrived on the scene at around 10pm, approximately three hours after the killing. Bhaigora’s corpse was then taken to a mortuary with the autopsy only scheduled to take place on Friday morning.

Muslims prefer to carry out the burial rituals as soon as possible but the processes had to be delayed as pathologists would only be available on Friday morning.

“No coroner is allowed to do their investigation or autopsy after 7.30 or 8 o’ clock. This is something for our doctors and learned people to organise at that level to be on stand-by like our burial societies are,” said Yusuf.

While the body was laying at the home awaiting police investigators the family was also agitated by another trend creeping within society.

“Unfortunately lots of our Muslim people with cellphones were taking pictures of the marhoom (deceased) and that was very annoying . We closed everything up but it was a sad thing to see,” lamented Yusuf.

The Salaatul Janazah (funeral prayer before burial) will take place at 2.45pm at the Avalon cemetery