Tears of disbelief flowed in Uitsig on Wednesday night after an aspiring pastor was shot and killed while preaching to a group of youngsters.
The hartseer family of Frank Christopher Olain, 43, say they are still in shock after being called to the scene in Carnation Road where his lifeless body lay on the corner.
Concerned residents say there have been ongoing shootings between rival gangs who are at war with each other.
Christopher, who was fondly known as “Brother Chris”, was known for hosting impromptu church services on street corners where he would preach and reach out to gangsters, imploring them to change their lives.
Fearful residents say shortly after 8pm, Olain was praying for two gangsters when rival skollies opened fire on those who had gathered around to listen to him preach.
Aunt Shirley Matthews, 52, says the family was called to the scene, but were not allowed to go close to his body.
“It was about 8pm and he was preaching there. We don’t know the details of how the shooting started, but the neighbours told us there were children around him and he was hit,” she says.
“We are not sure how many times he was shot or where on his body he was shot.
“So many people came out when they heard he was shot and they were crying because we couldn’t believe he was shot.”
Police spokesperson, Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana, confirms the shoo-ting and says Ravensmead police are now investiga-ting the murder.
“The victim died on the scene due to his injuries. Police detectives are following up on leads in order to arrest the suspect,” she says.
Shirley says her nephew worked as a carpenter to support his elderly mother, daughter and granddaughter, and at night would take to the streets to preach.
She says he was the family’s breadwinner and they face a tough time ahead.
She says the friendly man was passionate about his community and believed in the power of prayer.
“He grew up here and he cared for the people of Uitsig. He was a believer and whenever there were shootings, he would always tell us that we must pray for the gangsters, and to think he had to die like this...
“He was the breadwinner in his family and worked very hard.”