Police are investigating after Preggy Padayachee, the uncle in law of Feroz Khan, was shot dead on the R21 near Griffiths Road in Ekurhuleni. Image credit Supplied
Preggy Padayachee, the uncle in law of former Crime Intelligence deputy head Major General Feroz Khan, has died in a shooting on the R21 near Griffiths Road in Ekurhuleni. Gunmen opened fire on Monday night, just hours before Khan was due to testify at the Madlanga Commission.
According to police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, Padayachee’s car broke down on the highway, which leads towards OR Tambo International Airport. He then called a friend for help.
Soon after, the friend arrived with two other people. However, someone opened fire on the group. Padayachee tried to escape the gunfire, but he lost control of his car and crashed into a concrete barrier. He died at the scene.
Police investigate after Preggy Padayachee shot
In addition, one of the people who came to help suffered a gunshot wound. Paramedics took the person to hospital. Meanwhile, a third person escaped without injury.
Nevhuhulwi said the motive for the shooting is still unknown. So far, police have not made any arrests, and the investigation continues.
Padayachee was no stranger to the public. In June, he spoke on behalf of Khan’s family after gunmen shot Khan at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg. Khan suffered two gunshot wounds to the abdomen and spent time in a critical condition.
That attack came just days before Khan was first due to testify at the Madlanga Commission on 1 July. At the time, police deployed the Hawks, Crime Intelligence, detectives and the Political Killings Task Team to hunt for the gunmen. Earlier, Khan had also argued in court that information on his seized phones could put lives at risk.
Khan due to testify in private
Now, the killing of his uncle in law comes on the very day Khan is due to appear before the commission. This time, the commission will hear his evidence in private, after a psychiatrist advised that a public setting could place him under severe strain.
Khan faces several untested allegations. These include claims linked to an alleged scheme around a R280 million National Treasury IT contract. He must also answer questions about efforts to remove former intelligence inspector general Dr Setlhomamaru Dintwe. Furthermore, SAPS dismissed him on 2 September after he failed to attend his own disciplinary hearing.
The shooting also adds to a pattern of violence around people linked to the commission’s work. In December 2025, gunmen killed security company owner Marius van der Merwe outside his home in Brakpan. Van der Merwe had testified before the commission as Witness D. In March, police arrested a former SAPS member over his murder.
However, police have not linked Padayachee’s killing to Khan’s testimony or to the commission. Investigators are still working to establish a motive.
For now, police continue to search for the gunmen after Preggy Padayachee shot on the R21, while the timing of the attack raises fresh questions about the safety of people close to the commission.
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