Vernon Philander’s brother fatally shot in Ravensmead South Africa
The cricketing world is in mourning as the news breaks that the brother of South African star Vernon Philander has been fatally shot near his home in Ravensmead Cape Town.
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The younger brother of South African Test star Vernon Philander has been brutally murdered in Cape Town, with the alleged shooter still at large.
Philander’s brother, Tyrone Philander, 32, was shot dead in the neighbourhood of Ravensmead where the family grew up.
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Local law enforcement confirmed the tragedy and said that members of the Philander family, including the boys’ mother were in the yard doing the washing when “they heard shots.”
The Ravensmead CPF’s Zelda Trantaal said: “He is Tyron Philander; he is 32-years old. I spoke to the mother and she confirmed that he is the brother of Vernon Philander.”
She said it’s still unclear what happened: “They don’t know what happened. They were in the yard, busy with the washing and they heard shots.”
The shooter is on the run.
I would like to confirm the following and wish that our family's wish to allow us to mourn be respected. Thank you all for the love and support🙠https://t.co/ciyEt8VYLT
— Vernon Philander (@VDP_24) October 7, 2020
Philander – one of the best Test match fast bowlers of the modern era – released a statement to plead for privacy.
“Our family is coming to terms with the brutal murder in my hometown of Ravensmead earlier today. I would like to ask that the family’s privacy be respected during this difficult time,” said Vernon Philander.
“The murder is now the subject of a police investigation and we respectfully ask that the media give the police the space to conduct a thorough investigation. There are no details around the incident at the moment and speculation will make it very difficult for us as a family to mourn in peace.
“Tyrone is forever in our hearts. May his soul rest in peace.”
The brutal murder shines yet another light on the grim reality of life in South Africa and its rate of violent crime.
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Philander is a Cape Town native through and through. His mother was a local toll booth operator, and he built himself up from the ground up to be one of the biggest stars in world cricket.
As a late-bloomer, Philander burst onto the scene against Australia in Cape Town in 2011, and was named man of the match on debut in the famous Test where Michael Clarke’s team were bowled out for 47.
Philander took eight wickets for the game including the fastest five-for in Test history.
