August 10, 2023
CAPE TOWN, South Africa—An award-winning Asian surgeon of British citizenship was shot in the head and killed in front of his family during violent protests in South Africa after turning into a wrong street.
Kar Hao Teoh, 40, who worked at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, was visiting Cape Town on vacation with his wife, and two-year-old son on August 3, reports The Independent.
The 40-year-old doctor had taken a wrong turn from the nearby airport when a random group approached his vehicle. The shooting occurred in the Nyanga township near Cape Town International Airport.
According to IOL, Cape Town is the 11th most dangerous city in the world with a murder rate of 62.22 people per 100,000 citizens.
Civil unrest broke out after minibus taxi drivers announced a week-long strike.
Five other people were also murdered during the protests. The taxis’ national union has voiced its anger toward the heavy-handed tactics of police and city authorities impounding vehicles.
In 2021, Dr. Teoh won an international prize for his pioneering research into the treatment of ankle fractures. The British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society stated Dr. Teoh’s “sudden and tragic death … has shocked all of us”.
The online post stated: “He was remembered by colleagues past and present as a kind, gentle person, a dedicated and talented surgeon and a rising star of the foot and ankle world who had already made a big impact in the British and European Foot and Ankle Societies.
“He has worked in Scotland, England and Wales and has left fond memories with people in all corners of the country. He leaves a wife and a two-year-old son. Our heartfelt sympathies and condolences go out to them.”
Feature Image via Just Giving