- KwaZulu-Natal police officers will be deployed in Shallcross, Durban, to monitor the funeral of alleged gangster and drug lord Yaganthan Pillay aka Teddy Mafia.
- Police said they would ensure Covid-19 regulations are observed on Thursday.
- Pillay was a beloved figure in parts of his community.
KwaZulu-Natal police officers will be deployed in Shallcross, Durban, to monitor the funeral of alleged gangster and drug lord Yaganthan Pillay.
Pillay, popularly known as Teddy Mafia, was expected to be buried on Thursday.
His funeral service will be held at Taurus Street in Shallcross, Chatsworth from 10:00 until 13:00 and he will be laid to rest at the Shallcross cemetery.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said they would deploy officers to monitor the funeral.
"We don't give out numbers of officers who will be deployed to Shallcross. We will be monitoring the funeral. We will ensure that people abide by the regulations that only 50 people are allowed to attend the funeral," said Naicker.
Naicker said since Pillay's death on Monday, they had been following leads that could pave the way for the arrests of suspects.
Pillay was shot at his house on Monday, allegedly by two gunmen.
He reportedly died en route to a local hospital. Pillay's alleged assassins were shot at, beheaded next to each other and their bodies were later set alight, allegedly by angry residents.
Naicker earlier reported that police were also attacked by some residents as they responded to the scene.
Residents opened fire at the police and Public Order Policing Unit was called to disperse the crowd, he said.
IOL reported Pillay would be buried in a "diamond" studded casket and that his funeral would cost R300 000.
His body will be driven in a Rolls Royce hearse towed by a convoy of Range Rovers.
Pillay's family requested a Scottish bagpiper, custom decor at the grave site and doves that will be released at the cemetery.