Hijackers kill fashion designer: Founder of street wear brand Amor shot in Gugulethu for his VW Polo
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A LOSS FOR SA FASHION: Local designer Namhla Lizo Mgqibelo, owner of cloting label Amor, was killed on Sunday. Picture supplied
A township entrepreneur was murdered in a hijacking incident at the weekend.
Fashion designer Namhla Lizo Mgqibelo, the owner of the street wear brand Amor, was shot and killed in Luyoloville, Gugulethu, as he dropped friends off around 1am on Sunday.
Mgqibelo, 33, was from Crossroads. His black VW Polo was taken, but recovered in Gugulethu.
The community policing forum’s Linda Kabeni says the city has lost a shining star: “We are deeply saddened by this barbaric, evil act.
“We condemn this murder in the strongest terms, we have lost a rare breed. He was a fashion designer and he was contributing to fashion, giving international flavour to South African fashion. We have lost a great one, a cut above the rest.
“He was also a teacher, a motivational person with a vibe, we are extremely disappointed to lose someone like that.”
Kabeni says Mgqibelo was an inspiration to youngsters in the townships.
“We need more people like that for the youth to be engaged in other things other than crime,” Linda said. “Where are we going to get someone like that again?
“The NYDA member met the guy on Saturday night and he was wearing Namhla’s brand.
“The member expressed he was willing to uplift him to other levels in the national space. He would have gone far with his career, but his life was cut short.”
Kabeni tells the Cape Argus that the CPF has been working with the police to stop the hijackings in Gugulethu.
“We would like all law enforcement agencies to work together and we want to see the culprits arrested and convicted,” Linda added.
“We are working with SAPS and patrollers to make sure there are more vans to curb the hijackings in our communities.
“We had a meeting and appealed for more visibility in our mall, which is a hot spot for criminal activities; people are targeted at the entrances. We are under siege in Gugulethu.”
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk has confirmed the incident and said no-one has been arrested.
“Circumstances surrounding a shooting incident on Sunday at about 1.10am where a 33-year-old man was shot and injured and taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment are under investigation.
“According to reports, the victim was admitted to hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest, and he was declared dead on arrival. The motive and suspects are unknown,” he added.