This week’s deadly road rage incident in a Johannesburg suburb once again highlights the preponderance of gun violence in South Africa.
A Pakistani national, Zawar Faisal ul Rehman, was killed and his wife injured in the shooting on Barry Hertzog Avenue, Emmarentia, after colliding with another vehicle. A 58-year-old Muslim man was arrested following a confrontation that escalated from a minor collision on Sunday, 19 April. He was expected to appear in court on Tuesday. However, a spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Magaboke Mohlatlole, told reporters outside the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court the man would not be charged at “this stage”.
“After the full consideration of the evidence of the alleged road rage incident , the NPA has decided not to proceed with the matter pending further investigations,” Mohlatlole said.
In his official Warning Statement that has now been made available, the accused driver painted a different picture of what happened on the road that day.
He claimed the incident began with verbal confrontation after a minor collision, which escalated when both parties allegedly began exchanging insults and taking photographs of each other’s vehicles for insurance purposes.
According to his account, tensions rose further when he was allegedly verbally and physically assaulted by the other driver and the female passenger. He also claimed he had sustained a forehead injury during a physical altercation in which he was pulled to the ground.
The accused further alleged that the female passenger escalated the situation by introducing a firearm and firing it during the confrontation. He claimed she then handed the weapon to the deceased driver, who also discharged it in his direction.
He said that after the deceased collapsed and the firearm fell, the female passenger allegedly picked it up and pointed it at him, prompting him to return fire.
He maintained that he believed his life was under immediate threat throughout the incident.
The driver’s legal team has confirmed that they were reviewing video evidence of the incident and intended to submit representations to the State, arguing that the case should not proceed to prosecution at this stage.
They called for the matter to be paused until a full investigation was completed, including statements from eyewitnesses and the female passenger involved.
According to the defence, there were multiple bystanders who could provide key accounts of what had unfolded.
Sources confirmed a janaza salaah (funeral prayers) would be held for the deceased at Johannesburg’s Westpark cemetery on Tuesday and that his body would be repatriated to Pakistan for burial.
Distressing videos circulating on social media showed the aftermath, including the couple’s children at the scene, with their daughter crying next to her father’s body and a young boy attempting to perform CPR on him at the roadside.
Shocking video of the shooting, not for sensitive viewers
Road rage-related incidents form part of a wider violent pattern on South African roads. According to the Institute for Driver Safety, more than 1,000 people died in road rage incidents in the country in 2025.
Meanwhile, South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with firearms accounting for a significant share of the killings. According to Gun Free South Africa, gun-related murders increased by 35% between 2021-22 and 2022-23, with an average of 31 people shot and killed every day. In the Western Cape alone, firearms account for 40.4% of homicides. Reports also indicate 80 mass shootings in 2024 and 60 in 2025.
Experts say guns come from multiple sources, including legal channels diverted to the black market. The proliferation of firearms has intensified public fear amid rising robberies, home invasions, and carjackings.
A gun shop owner in Johannesburg told One Nation Media (ONM) that demand for firearms has grown significantly, citing increased security concerns. “We wouldn’t have had so many gun shops opening up all over if there wasn’t demand,” he said, adding, “Shoot or be shot.”
The recent Emmarentia shooting underscores growing calls for stronger gun control measures as South Africa continues to battle one of the world’s highest rates of firearm-related violence.