Newlyweds gunned down
WOUNDED: Graham and Ruwayda Fredericks cancelled their reception WOUNDED: Graham and Ruwayda Fredericks cancelled their reception
On Sunday, the day after their wedding, the Kraaifontein newlyweds were attacked by two gunmen.
The groom, a former prison gang member, was shot in the head, while the bride, was hit in the back.
Graham and Ruwayda Fredericks got married on Saturday, but had to cancel their wedding reception at a hall in Scottsdene after their lives were threatened on Facebook.
Relatives who shared details of the upcoming nuptials say mense started threatening the couple that “a hit would be put on them”.
The relatives did not name the people who posted the threats, and handed over all information to police.
A traumatised Ruwayda, 28, says on Sunday, she, Graham, their two-year-old daughter and her 23-year-old brother were on their way to put in petrol at a nearby garage when they were ambushed.
“We were driving near the Kraaifontein day hospital in Sesde Laan when we noticed this suspicious car behind us,” she explains.
CLOSE CALL: Ruwayda's brother drove into the gunman
“My brother was driving our car, and when we stopped at a stop street, he recognised two well-known hitmen in our area standing there.
“They opened fire on us but one’s gun jammed. My brother hit the one with the car, throwing him off balance.
“Shots were fired at our car as we sped away. Graham was shot in the head and one bullet grazed my back. I am lucky to be alive. I was bending over to protect my child when the bullet hit me.”
She says they wanted to rush to the nearby day hospital, but feared the gunmen would return as it takes a while for the facility’s gates to be opened.
“I was praying for guidance and then we went to the Kraaifontein police station for help. I was bleeding and screaming,” says Ruwayda.
She says two constables, “Arendse and Koopman”, heard her pleas and escorted them to the hospital.
Shots fired at couple's Opel Corsa
“Graham was in a coma for six hours. I would have been a widow one day into my marriage if it weren’t for those two constables,” says the emotional wife.
“My husband changed his life two years ago, he was a gang member but has left that life behind, why do they want to hurt us?”
Last year, Graham aka G-Force, made headlines in the Daily Voice when the former prison gang member celebrated cutting ties with gangsterism by throwing a street party for his neighbours in Patricia Street, Scottsdene.
Captain FC van Wyk confirms the incident and says no arrests have been made.
“An attempted murder was registered for investigation."