Family deny 'Tatu' was a gang boss, and plead to let them mourn in peace

AMBUSHED AND KILLED

- YOSHINI PERUMAL

Anthony 'Tatu' Gounden

THREE years after his son was killed in a case of mistaken identity, Tatu gang leader Anthony Gounden was shot dead, allegedly by a rival gang from Wentworth.

Gounden, 47, of Verulam, was shot multiple times when two gunmen opened fire on him while he was seated in his minibus at the BP Garage, in Sibaya, in the early hours of Sunday.

In 2023, his son Antonio Jacob Gounden, 19, was shot and killed outside a bottle store in Oaklands.

Police sources and community leaders described Gounden as a ruthless gang leader who felt he was “godlike and untouchable”.

A source said it was alleged that a rival gang from Wentworth was responsible for the hit.

Gounden was due to appear in the Verulam Magistrate's Court next week for the start of his attempted murder trial.

He was arrested and charged for the brutal attack on an off-duty metro police officer on March 9, 2024.

“It was alleged that Gounden’s security guards assaulted the police officer. He thought he was unstoppable because he had the police on his payroll,” the source claimed.

The source told the POST that police had tracked Gounden for many years due to his involvement in the drug trade.

“He moved around with bodyguards, and he had police officers on his payroll. Sherwynn Ezra Chetty, a constable from Verulam, was allegedly caught transporting drugs for him and moonlighting as Gounden’s bodyguard. He was fired from the police.

“When a rival gang wanted to kill Gounden, he went into hiding. However, they killed his son to drive him out. He was shot afterwards, but survived. His friend was killed,” the source said.