The 58-year-old suspect, who is accused of killing a man and injuring his wife during a road rage incident in Emmarentia, Johannesburg, has been released after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) expressed its dissatisfaction with proceeding with the case.
Image: Suburban Control Centre
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says the decision not to prosecute a suspect involved in the fatal road rage shooting that left a husband dead and a wife injured in Emmarentia, Johannesburg, is due to insufficient evidence.
The NPA announced on Tuesday that it had decided not to proceed with the prosecution of the 58-year-old man who was arrested in connection with the shooting.
The suspect was expected to face charges of murder and attempted murder following the death of a motorist, Faisal ul Rehman, 48, and the wounding of his wife, Tehseen.
The incident happened on Barry Hertzog Avenue following a minor fender-bender that escalated into a physical altercation.
Tehseen was taken to the hospital following the shooting.
The suspect was scheduled to appear in Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday but the matter was not enrolled.
NPA spokesperson in Johannesburg, Magaboke Mohlatlole, told the media that the matter was dropped pending further investigation.
“After a careful consideration of the evidence in the alleged incident which occurred in Emmarentia, the NPA has decided not to prosecute or proceed with the case pending further investigations,” said Mohlatlole, adding that the matter will be allocated at a later stage.
He indicated that the NPA was dissatisfied with the evidence at hand.
“The investigation will continue with the SAPS, and the matter will be prosecuted once the NPA is satisfied with the evidence,” said Mohlatlole.
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
In a statement released shortly after the incident, Nevhuhulwi said the confrontation between the deceased and the suspect escalated into a physical altercation, during which the deceased's wife allegedly retrieved a firearm, prompting the second driver to also draw a weapon.
“It is alleged that a female passenger suspected to be the wife of one of the drivers went to get a firearm from the car, and the second driver also pulled out his firearm, resulting in a shooting which claimed the life of the husband, while the other driver sustained minor injuries and the female passenger was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound,” she said.
The couple's two young children were present during the shooting. Footage of the aftermath, which showed the children in distress and attempting to help their father, circulated widely on social media.
Meanwhile, police and Arrive Alive have urged the public, particularly motorists, to always abide by traffic rules and exercise patience while using public roads to avoid road rage.
Gun Free South Africa told the SABC that gun violence extends beyond organized crime into daily conflicts, road rage, and social arguments.
The organisation’s executive director, Dr Stanley Maphosa, said: “It is a really heart-breaking incident that could have been prevented. It shows that guns don’t only feature in organised crime, but they are in our day-to-day present life in conflicts. For example, Gauteng alone in the past reporting period of 2025, 2026, the last quarter, which was released on the 5th of March, indicated that 200 people out of 1277 gun murders were murdered through misunderstanding, road rage and social arguments.”
Cape Times