Suspect in Emmarentia road rage shooting faces prosecution
The 58-year-old suspect, who is accused of killing a man and injuring his wife during a road rage incident in Emmarentia, Johannesburg, has been released after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) expressed its dissatisfaction with proceeding with the case.
Image: Suburban Control Centre
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it will prosecute the suspect in the Emmarentia road rage shooting that resulted in a husband’s death and his wife’s injury, after obtaining sufficient evidence.
This follows the NPA's previous decision not to pursue charges against the 58-year-old man arrested in connection with the incident.
The suspect faces charges of murder and attempted murder following the death of a motorist, Faisal ul Rehman, 48, and the wounding of his wife, Tehseen.
The incident happened on Barry Hertzog Avenue following a minor fender-bender that escalated into a physical altercation.
Tehseen was taken to the hospital following the shooting.
The suspect was scheduled to appear in Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, but the matter was not prosecutable, leading to his release.
NPA spokesperson in Johannesburg, Magaboke Mohlatlole, on Tuesday told the media that the matter was dropped pending further investigation.
“After a careful consideration of the evidence in the alleged incident which occurred in Emmarentia, the NPA has decided not to prosecute or proceed with the case pending further investigations,” said Mohlatlole, adding that the matter will be allocated at a later stage.
He indicated that the NPA was dissatisfied with the evidence at hand.
“The investigation will continue with the SAPS, and the matter will be prosecuted once the NPA is satisfied with the evidence,” said Mohlatlole.
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the investigation into the incident is an ongoing process.
In a statement released shortly after the incident, Nevhuhulwi said the confrontation between the deceased and the suspect escalated into a physical altercation, during which the deceased's wife allegedly retrieved a firearm, prompting the second driver to also draw a weapon.
“It is alleged that a female passenger suspected to be the wife of one of the drivers went to get a firearm from the car, and the second driver also pulled out his firearm, resulting in a shooting which claimed the life of the husband, while the other driver sustained minor injuries and the female passenger was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound,” she said.
The couple's two young children were present during the shooting. Footage of the aftermath, which showed the children in distress and attempting to help their father, circulated widely on social media.
Meanwhile, police and Arrive Alive have urged the public, particularly motorists, to always abide by traffic rules and exercise patience while using public roads to avoid road rage.
Masterdrive South Africa said the Emmarentia incident should serve as an inflection point: a moment for South Africa to acknowledge that driver training should embrace a holistic approach to road safety where emotional regulation is treated as seriously as any technical skill.
“Circulation of unverifiable figures compounds the problem. Some reports claim more than 1 000 people died in road rage incidents in South Africa in 2026, with no source cited. Another reference over 1 200 deaths, likely drawn from a statistic recording 1 272 attempted murders associated with 'road rage, arguments, or provocation.’ This is a broad category, not isolated to road rage only.
“Irresponsible statistic use causes harm. When motorists absorb inflated fear-based data, it worsens the emotional and cognitive overload already being carried, making ignoring the situation that much more difficult,” said CEO Eugene Herbert.