The Noordhoek community has been left reeling the loss of one of their own. Authorities were called to the residence of Wesley Sweetnam, in the early hours of Sunday morning, after his lifeless body was discovered with gunshot wounds.

Who is Wesley Sweetnam?

Wesley Sweetnam is a 30-year-old business owner and trail athlete. A scroll through his Facebook timeline indicated that he was a lover of the outdoors.

By all accounts, Wesley Sweetnam was loved by his community. Based on information we sourced from tribute posts from his friends, we can assume he grew up in Fish Hoek Valley.

He owned Doggy-Style Grooming, Boarding and Doggy Daycare and was an active trail athlete, endorsed by K-Way.

What is the motive behind his murder?

The last thing anyone expected to hear about Wesley Sweetnam was news of his death — more specifically the nature of it. According to police spokesperson, Andre Traut, Noordhoek authorities were called out to the 30-year-old’s residence on Sunday morning.

“The circumstances surrounding the death of a 30-year-old male are being investigated after he was shot and killed at his Noordhoek residence at around 05:50,” Traut said in a statement.

At this time, detectives do not have a suspect in custody, neither has there been progress in isolating persons of interest in the murder.

Traut could only confirm that the suspected motive for the murder of Wesley Sweetnam was linked to robbery. Although, police have yet to confirm if there were any items missing from the 30-year-old’s residence.

“A soft heart, big smile and even bigger personality”

K-Way, the outdoor and sporting retail company, described Sweetnam as a man that was “known for his soft heart, big smile and even bigger personality.”

“Wesley was a promising athlete who has been blazing a trail within the competitive trail running community, for a number of years. Along with Wesley’s endurance and astonishing talent, he was known for his soft heart, big smile and even bigger personality. He was a ray of sunshine and an inspiration to many – for truly living his life to the fullest,” the statement read.

The case is still ongoing and for now, detectives have the tough job of trying to piece Sweetnam’s final moments together to get a good indication of who may have been behind such a senseless murder.