WHAT should’ve been a normal drive home from the airport for local videographer, Daryl Kotze, turned into a nightmare when his vehicle came under fire as he approached the Brickfield Road offramp from the N3 on Thursday, 23 May.
Kotze was on his way home from the airport after filming an advert and music video in Johannesburg when he came under fire as he approached Durban. He was hit by three bullets, and is currently recovering at a Durban hospital.
Speaking to Berea Mail on Tuesday, Kotze said his last real memories from the night were catching an Uber to the airport and the long wait for his flight.
“I don’t remember the flight home. I often send my wife, Trish, a live location on WhatsApp when I am leaving the airport. Apparently I got my car from the long term parking, sent her my location and actually called to say I was 10 minutes away from home. She said when I wasn’t home after 15 minutes passed, she knew something was wrong,” he said.
Kotze said members from eThekwini Secure had gone from door to door down his road looking for Trish to let her know something had happened to him.
“By Saturday I was very disorientated and couldn’t even say what hospital I was in. I can’t say when I started to piece things together, but I think I remember loud noises which were the gun shots, a warm feeling as the bullets hit me and the impact, where I think I was concussed. Whoever shot me didn’t even take my camera equipment from my car, but my cellphone was stolen, which is very frustrating,” he said.
Kotze said he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have survived the incident. One bullet went through his chest and both lungs, one was lodged in his hip, which the doctors will leave there for now, and one bullet went through his leg, breaking a bone.
“I am already walking with a moon boot, and the leg is not painful. I had the drain taken out of one of my lungs, which was painful. I will be moved from ICU to the general ward which is great,” he said.
Kotze said police visited him in hospital but couldn’t give him any real answers about the incident. He said he didn’t have any enemies and felt it could’ve been a gang hit or a case of mistaken identity.
“To be honest, I don’t remember anything and I didn’t see anything before the shooting. There wasn’t any build up, there was no road rage or anything like that. What was a normal drive home turned into a war zone. This part is easy, but I keep reminding myself that I still have hurdles to get over,” he said.
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Commenting on the incident, Zain Soosiwala from eThekwini Secure, said members called in a possible drive-by shooting on the N3 on 23 May at around 10pm.
“Through our network, emergency services were dispatched and eThekwini Secure patrollers hurried to the scene. Patrollers, who were first at the scene, immediately cordoned off the area and assisted with traffic control, until SAPS and Metro arrived. It appeared that a high calibre weapon was used in the shooting as evident on the bullet-ridden Toyota Fortuner, leaving the victim in a critical condition. The circumstances of the shooting remain unknown,” he said.
Janus Horn, Kotze’s close friend and neighbour, said he was devastated and shocked by the incident, and wasn’t sure if it was a hijacking gone wrong or a hit with mistaken identity.
“I am angry and disappointed. I cannot believe we live in a country where you drive home from the airport and you get taken out like this for no reason. Lawlessness! Have we lost control? Daryl is the breadwinner for his family. I am shocked,” he said. He thanked eThekwini Secure, Metro Police and SAPS who assisted at the scene.
Any witnesses are urged to contact Crime Stop on 086900 10111. Information can be passed on anonymously.
Mayville police are investigating a case of attempted murder.
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