The Muslim community of Azaadville in Johannesburg are reeling after the murder of two community workers on Thursday morning. Sixty-five-year-old Haroon Saleh and his 29-year-old son, Yusuf, were both shot by armed robbers in their home in the west of Johannesburg. Haroon died shortly after the attack, while his son was airlifted to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds later on Thursday afternoon.

Haroon was a trustee and one of the founding members of Crescent Hope, a well-known NGO in Johannesburg that seeks to rehabilitate drug addicts.

“We have not just lost Haroon Saleh but we have a lost a great human being, who was always conscious of serving humanity,” said Ismail Kholvadia from Crescent Hope.

Haroon was described as having a “sublime character”.

“If you had seen the type of time and work and dedicated to the organisation, you would think he was employed on a full time basis.

“Many people who know him will speak of his superb character. That is why this death is so shocking. We will miss him and the entire community will miss his efforts.”

Colleagues recalled Haroon fervent volunteer work at the NGO and his many innovative projects. At the time of his passing, he was the head of a water project in the Free State and Eastern Cape. He designed where the water would be located and over the period where he did that, we had a 99% success rate. At the time of his passing, he was overseeing the renovations at a rehab centre in Magaliesburg. VOC