Gift of the Givers director Imtiaz Sooliman described Amieroodeen Noordien, who was gunned down in 2018, as a dedicated volunteer.
CAPE TOWN – Two people found guilty of the murder of Gift of the Givers volunteer Amieroodeen Noordien have been jailed to an effective 25 years behind bars.
Noordien was killed in Surwood Walk, Hanover Park on May 19, 2018. He was with three other people when they came under fire at a tuck shop.
This week the Western Cape High Court convicted Adrian Carelse, 27, and Raiden Lekutu, 22, on charges of murder, attempted murder and the illegal possession of a firearm.
According to Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg, thorough police investigations led to the arrest of the pair.
“The Western Cape police management welcomed the sentence and commended the investigating officer and the prosecution team for a job well done in securing the sentences,” Twigg said.
Gift of the Givers director Dr Imtiaz Sooliman welcomed the sentence.
“This wonderful news has come too late for Ameerodeen’s mother who, unfortunately, has passed on,” Sooliman added.
He described Noordien as a dedicated Gift of the Givers volunteer.
“Together with other youth, he was focused on moving away from the tentacles of criminal gangs to a life of service to those in need, and in the process provide honest earnings (we pay our volunteers in cash and kind) for the well-being of their own families,” Sooliman said.
Gift of the Givers said special thanks was due to Sergeant de Vries and the anti-gang unit that responded timeously to the incident, resulting in the suspects giving themselves up within 72 hours of the killing.
Sooliman said the disaster aid group looked forward to justice for the hundreds of other families who have suffered a similar fate to Noordien.
“We as a community and a nation have a critical role to play to mould our children to the right path, being exemplary in our behaviour and identifying fearlessly those within our communities that act with impunity,” he said.
“The only way to end crime is to ensure that we don’t produce criminals within our nation.”
