A hand grenade exploded after being thrown at the home of the chairman of the Duncan Village Community Policing Forum on Sunday night.
Ludumo Salman and his family emerged from the bombing unscathed.
East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said the attempt to take the crime fighter’s life was made by unknown assailants who used a military-issue hand grenade.
The incident occurred shortly after 11pm in Biyana Drive, Gompo.
Salman, his wife, their seven-month-old daughter, his sister and his mother were asleep at the time.
Only his brother-in-law, Sibusiso Makala, was up watching TV in the lounge.
The grenade was thrown at the lounge window, which faces the road.
It bounced off the burglar bars and exploded outside the house, destroying the front and side windows.
His neighbour’s windows were also taken out and walls were damaged.
A shocked Salman said: “We were in bed.”
Salman, who lives in a notorious crime hotspot, said a window leading to the lounge was shattered by the blast.
“I ordered my family members, who had all woken up and were standing around, to lie down on the floor as I switched off the lights.
“I got hold of the firearm (a handgun) and ran outside,” said Salman.
He said once he was under the gleam of a street light he searched for the suspects, but saw no one.
“I rushed to wake my neighbours to let them know what had happened. Others called the police,” Salman said.
He did not believe the bombing had anything to do with his work as a crime fighter in Duncan Village, but suspected it was about an ongoing criminal case involving the death of his son, Andise Salman, in June 2013.
Andise, a Grade 9 pupil at St Paul’s College, was stabbed by two men while standing outside a liquor outlet in Gompo.
Two suspects were arrested and are on trial in the East London Magistrate’s Court.
“I have been personally involved in this case from the beginning and it’s like someone does not like it. But as a parent I cannot fold my arms and do nothing, because until today, I need to know why my son was killed,” Salman.
Mqala said a case of attempted murder was opened for investigation. There have been no arrests as yet, she said. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
CPF chairman survives grenade attack at home
Ludumo Salman and his family emerged from the bombing unscathed.
East London police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said the attempt to take the crime fighter’s life was made by unknown assailants who used a military-issue hand grenade.
The incident occurred shortly after 11pm in Biyana Drive, Gompo.
Salman, his wife, their seven-month-old daughter, his sister and his mother were asleep at the time.
Only his brother-in-law, Sibusiso Makala, was up watching TV in the lounge.
The grenade was thrown at the lounge window, which faces the road.
It bounced off the burglar bars and exploded outside the house, destroying the front and side windows.
His neighbour’s windows were also taken out and walls were damaged.
A shocked Salman said: “We were in bed.”
Salman, who lives in a notorious crime hotspot, said a window leading to the lounge was shattered by the blast.
“I ordered my family members, who had all woken up and were standing around, to lie down on the floor as I switched off the lights.
“I got hold of the firearm (a handgun) and ran outside,” said Salman.
He said once he was under the gleam of a street light he searched for the suspects, but saw no one.
“I rushed to wake my neighbours to let them know what had happened. Others called the police,” Salman said.
He did not believe the bombing had anything to do with his work as a crime fighter in Duncan Village, but suspected it was about an ongoing criminal case involving the death of his son, Andise Salman, in June 2013.
Andise, a Grade 9 pupil at St Paul’s College, was stabbed by two men while standing outside a liquor outlet in Gompo.
Two suspects were arrested and are on trial in the East London Magistrate’s Court.
“I have been personally involved in this case from the beginning and it’s like someone does not like it. But as a parent I cannot fold my arms and do nothing, because until today, I need to know why my son was killed,” Salman.
Mqala said a case of attempted murder was opened for investigation. There have been no arrests as yet, she said. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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