Farm owner urged to hand himself to police after gun used in 2020 Melville shooting found buried in shallow grave

A file picture of a night vigil that was held for the two women who were shot dead outside Poppy’s Restaurant in Melville on New Year’s Day in 2020. Picture: Itumeleng English Africa News Agency (ANA)

A file picture of a night vigil that was held for the two women who were shot dead outside Poppy’s Restaurant in Melville on New Year’s Day in 2020. Picture: Itumeleng English Africa News Agency (ANA)

Published Jan 4, 2023

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Durban – The police have made a breakthrough in the Melville shooting on New Year’s Day in 2020.

A firearm found buried in a shallow grave on a farm has been positively linked to the shooting incident that claimed the lives of two women and injured six others.

At about 1am on New Year’s Day in 2020, the police said a black BMW SUV approached Poppy's in 7th Avenue and an unknown assailant fired multiple shots from the vehicle.

According to national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe the police recovered a total of nine firearms on the farm in Kliprivier.

“The firearms were found buried in a shallow grave on the identified premises.

“The firearms were taken for ballistics testing and one of the firearms has been positively linked to the shooting that happened during the drive-by shooting in Melville.

“Police have since been on a manhunt to trace and track down the owner of the farm.

“The owner of the farm is known to police and he is urged to hand himself over as the investigation continues,” said Mathe.

She said a multidisciplinary team is working tirelessly on this case to bring to book the perpetrators of this incident in a bid to provide closure to all families involved.

“Police will not comment further on this matter as this is an ongoing investigation.”

According to The Star was incident was sparked by an altercation between patrons who were inside the restaurant.

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