‘A very good man’: Emmarentia road rage victim family mourns as suspect appears in court

In a Johannesburg hospital room, a woman lay recovering from gunshot wounds, unaware that her life had already been shattered in a way she could not yet fully grasp. Her husband was gone, killed just hours earlier in a road rage shooting in Emmarentia.

For more than a day, no one in the family could bring themselves to tell her. When they finally did, the weight of the truth fell on a family already struggling to make sense of an unimaginable loss.

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A family forced to break devastating news

Tehseen Zahara Faisal had been injured in the same incident that claimed her husband’s life. She was only told the truth when she became the only person able to decide what would happen to his body, whether he would be buried in South Africa or sent home to Pakistan.

According to her nephew, Muhammad Wasi Haider, the moment was emotionally overwhelming.

“She did not take it well,” he said quietly, describing how the family gathered to tell her what had happened.

The victim, Faisal Ul Rehman, 48, had been shot after what police described as a minor traffic collision that escalated into a fistfight and then gunfire.

How the Emmarentia shooting unfolded

Gauteng police say the incident began on Barry Hertzog Avenue when a small fender-bender escalated between two drivers.

It is alleged that a female passenger believed to be the wife of one of the drivers retrieved a firearm from a vehicle. The second driver also drew his weapon, and a shooting followed.

The confrontation left Rehman dead and both the other driver and the female passenger injured.

Police confirmed that a case of murder and attempted murder is under investigation. Authorities have also urged motorists to remain patient on the roads and avoid escalating conflicts.

A 58-year-old man was arrested at the scene and is due to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court.

A video that shook social media

Footage of the aftermath has since spread widely online, adding another layer of grief for the family.

In the video, Rehman’s young daughter can be seen screaming beside her father’s body. Her younger brother attempts CPR, his hands covered in blood. Nearby, their mother sits injured on the ground.

For relatives, the images have been almost impossible to process.

Haider, who had to identify his uncle’s body at the mortuary, said the experience left him disoriented.

“I consider myself a very smart person, but my brain is not working,” he said, describing how he struggled to even enter his uncle’s home afterward.

Remembering Faisal Ul Rehman

Born in 1977, Rehman was a car dealer in Pretoria, rebuilding and selling vehicles. According to his family, he owned a licensed firearm due to the nature of his work, but they insist he was not a violent man.

Haider said he doubted his uncle had ever even used the weapon outside of ownership requirements.

“He never had a criminal record,” he said. “You can search his ID.”

But beyond his work, the family says his true legacy lies in the people who depended on him.

A provider for families beyond South Africa

Rehman was not only supporting his immediate family, but also more than 15 households in Pakistan. Every month, he sent money home to sustain relatives, including orphaned children.

“He looked after orphan children and gave to charity,” Haider said. “With his death, a lot of people’s income has stopped.”

The loss, he added, extends far beyond one household.

“He was a very, very, very good man.”

Court case begins as funeral arrangements continue

While the accused driver prepares to appear in court, Rehman’s family is also preparing for his funeral, which will take place at Westpark Cemetery before his body is transported to Pakistan for burial.

The decision was made collectively, despite the emotional strain on Tehseen, who is still recovering in hospital and now must cope with both her injuries and the loss of her husband.

Haider said the priority now is simple: lay Rehman to rest and care for the children left behind.

“My first concern is to get the funeral done,” he said. “After that, we focus on my auntie’s health and this case.”

A family demanding answers

While grief dominates the moment, the family is also calling for justice. Haider rejects claims that the shooting was self-defence, arguing instead that the killing was avoidable.

“Faisal did not point the firearm at him and start shooting,” he said. “He could have disarmed him without killing him.”

For now, the family is holding onto memories of a man they say was a father, brother, friend, and provider and trying to navigate a future that no longer includes him.

“That’s all I can tell you,” Haider said, after a long pause.