'Divorce was the trigger': businessman kills wife before taking his own life

A DURBAN businessman lured his estranged wife under false pretences to a centre they jointly owned in Glen Ashley, in Durban North, to “see a tenant”, where he shot and killed her in the parking lot before taking his own life.

- MONISHKA GOVENDER

At the time, Vikash Rajwanta, 48, and Unitha Rajwanta, 47, both business owners, were in the process of a divorce. The couple have two daughters, Caitlin, 20, and Amy, 16.

A distraught Caitlin described the moments leading up to her mother's death.

“On that day, my mum had hosted a baby shower for her best friend's daughter at our home which is across from the centre, where she was killed. There was a protection order in place at the time of the incident, and my father was not living in our family home.

“During the baby shower, my father rushed into the house and said that a tenant wanted to see them about renting office space. My parents co-owned the building (Marion Centre).

“They were in the process of a divorce. He started arguing with her. Then he shot her and then himself. We heard the shots and ran across the road, only to see my mum on the ground. I was devastated,” she said.

She claimed her mother suffered years of abuse behind closed doors.

“How can a man who said he loved his family, do such a terrible thing? He was very short-tempered, and always abused my mum physically and emotionally.