Two people are said to have been shot dead in Khayelitsha on Wednesday night while attending a vigil for a five-year-old victim of last week’s election-night bloodletting. Eye-witnesses told advice office workers that the vigil, attended by about 20 people, was underway in a tent in Khayelitsha’s squatter settlement when it was fired upon by shotgun- wielding men. The advice workers were told that youths who could not be accommodated in the tent were outside when a combi drove past and parked some distance away, they said.
A number of men emerged from the vehicle and started firing on the tent with shotguns, killing a young girl and a boy identified only as Celiwe and Theinbinkosi and wounding at least five people. Cape Town has meanwhile started to bury its election-night dead. Lawyers have so far confirmed 18 deaths but said several bodies still awaited identification.
- Yvette Otto, a five-months pregnant 16-year-old who died with a gaping bullet wound in her chest in Kalksteenfontein, was buried in Riebeeck-Wes on Sunday. Witnesses allege she was shot by police.
- Ricardo Levy, 12, a primary school pupil shot through the mouth, allegedly by a security guard whose van was stoned in Kalksteenfontein, was buried in Bishop Lavis on Monday
- Leonard Rass, 13, a pupil at a school for disabled children, died of birdshot wounds in the back after police allegedly took action against Kleinvlei residents attempting to march on a local polling station.
- Sulaiman Martin, 26, of Mitchells Plain was shot at night while walking home with Shirley Engelbrecht and her small daughter. She said that as they crossed a street they saw people running and followed suit. She heard police gunfire and saw Martin fall as he tried to scale a fence. He was buried last Thursday.
- Pedro Page, 18, a Standard 9 pupil, was shot in Parkwood Estate, allegedly by an off-duty policeman.
- Liziwe Masokanye, 23, mother of a three-month old baby, died of buckshot wounds after police opened fire on a group of people in Kaya Mandi, Stellenbosch. Several people were injured. Masokanye died en route to hospital.
- Jospeh Michael Makoma, 25, was shot in the head with live ammunition in Kalksteenfontein, according to lawyers. He will be buried in Graaff-Reinet tomorrow.
- Patrick Miller, 13, of Bellville, died in hospital this week of a bullet wound in the head sustained on Wednesday night. He is to be buried tomorrow. His mother, Germaine Miller, said she had sent him to buy bread at a shop. Her son’s friend told her people fled as a police van approached but that he and Patrick did not run ”because they had not done anything wrong”.
Ten of the dead are from Khayelitsha, where community sources this week denied police claims that the deaths were the result of ”tribal faction fighting”. Michael Mapongwana, chairman of the Western Cape Civic Association’s Khayelitsha branch, claimed that ”in almost every case” residents reported the presence of police and kitskonstabels in the area before the shootings.
Khayelitsha deaths include:
- Thanduxolo Hlonyana, 20, of Khayelitsha, allegedly shot by a kitskonstabel.
- Mzwarnadoda Magxudolo, 21, shot in the back.
- Mlungiseleli Mabityi Quathazan 18, who died of gunshot wounds.
- Elland Ganjana, 37, allegedly shot by police, of gunshot wounds.
- Lubalo Mtirara, 20, allegedly she while rinsing his eyes to get rid of the effects of teargas, according to lawyers.
- Nomthunzi Matshebelele, 5, of gunshot fired from a moving car.
- Boyiti Madyogolo, 21, of gunshot wounds.
- Fundo Bhonties, 15, of gunshot wounds.
- Tatana James Matimba, 52, of gunshot wounds.
- Elsie Madubula, 69, of gunshot wounds.
This article originally appeared in the Weekly Mail.
