Eastern Cape MEC of Transport and Community Safety Xolile Nqatha says his department is working closely with police to address a spate of mass shootings in Nelson Mandela Bay in recent weeks. (Photo: Hoseya Jubase) As they walked out of courtroom 68 at the Motherwell Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 8 June, the family members of five teenagers who were gunned down in Mnenge Street last month held each other tightly.
Some of them wiped away tears, others scowled deeply. But no one said a word.
Moments earlier they sat in the public gallery as Takudza Magwenzi (28) took to the dock as the first man to be arrested for the brutal murders.
It is one of the three unrelated shooting incidents that have claimed 11 lives and left several others with serious injuries in Nelson Mandela Bay since April.
Senior police and government officials have called for calm in communities where fear is rife, but also cautioned residents against taking the law into their own hands as concerns over vigilantism are growing.
It is also understood that the offices of the MEC for Community Safety and the provincial police commissioner have been in talks over strategies on how to address the ongoing violence in Nelson Mandela Bay.
‘No father should bury his own child’
/file/attachments/orphans/Motherwell-shooting-3_681947.jpg "Speaking to media outside the Motherwell Magistrates’ Court on Monday, an emotional Lungelo Gubeni recounted the moment he was told that his son, Solathise Krwala, was among the five teenagers who were shot in Motherwell last month. (Photo : Riaan Marais)")
Speaking outside the courthouse on Monday, it was clear that Lungelo Gubeni was trying his best to contain his emotions for the sake of the family members surrounding him.
“I am trying to keep it together, but I will mourn my son until the day I die. No father should bury his own child.”
His son, Solathise Krwala, and his nephew, Vuyisani Pinini, were among the five teenagers who lost their lives in the mass shooting at their family home, in Mnenge Street on 27 May.
Gubeni, a teacher, had accompanied several learners to a music competition in KuGompo, when a neighbour phoned him with the devastating news that there had been a shooting at his mother’s house.
“He told me my son had died. I could not cry. I did not want to upset the learners I had with me,” Gubeni recounted.
“We drove back to Gqeberha after the competition and I kept getting updates from my brother, who was at the scene. I tried to keep my composure, but my mind was all over the place trying to piece together what could have happened.”
Back home, he learnt that Solathise and Vuyisani, along with Mpendulo Sjadu, Luvuyo Crowly and Ibrahim Said, all aged 17 and 18, had been killed in what seemed to be an execution-style shooting.
Four were found in the lounge, the fifth in one of the adjacent bedrooms.
Police reports indicated that emergency medical teams found three of the victims dead on arrival. A fourth failed to respond to resuscitation efforts and also died on the scene, while the fifth victim was transported to hospital but died shortly thereafter.
Court case postponed
Magwenzi, a Zimbabwean national, was arrested last week and made his first appearance in court on Monday. His matter was postponed until 18 June so the court could secure a Shona interpreter for his formal bail proceedings.
During his brief appearance in the dock, Magwenzi claimed he was tortured by the community members and forced to admit his involvement in the five murders.
Following court proceedings, Gubeni said he was relieved that an arrest was made, but he was not convinced that Magwenzi acted alone.
“Word on the street is that one or more of these boys wronged him somehow and he then arranged for killers to come to the house. What the boys did, or who these alleged hitmen are, I cannot say.
“But no matter what these boys did, nothing could justify them being executed like that in my mother’s house,” Gubeni said quietly.
During court proceedings, Baxolise Noqekwa, convenor for the Sidikiwe Action Group, called for government to stand up against foreign nationals, and tried to rally Motherwell residents to protest outside the court building.
/file/attachments/orphans/Motherwell-shooting-2_134176.jpg "Convenor of the Sidikiwe Action Group, Baxolise Noqekwa, tried to rally the residents of Motherwell to protest against foreign nationals outside court on Monday, 8 June. A Zimbabwean national appeared in the Motherwell Magistrates’ Court in connection with the murder of five teenagers in May. (Photo: Riaan Marais)")
“This man is in court for murdering five boys. Has he done this before? How many other crimes has he committed and gotten away with it?
“Government needs to do a proper investigation into how these foreign nationals are making their way into our country and what they are actually doing here. They are taking jobs from unemployed South Africans, and now they are perpetrating violence against our children,” she said.
Her calls, however, did not get much traction.
More shootings
In an unrelated incident on Saturday, 6 June, the police responded to reports of a shooting at a house in Mti Street, Kwadwesi. Upon arrival they found the bodies of two women and one man. All had suffered fatal gunshot wounds to the head.
Three more women were rushed to hospital where one of them died The other two remain in hospital with serious injuries.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said preliminary investigations suggest that four masked men entered the property, asked for one of the victims by name and then demanded that the rest of the victims hand over money and access their bank accounts through banking apps on their phones.
“The suspects subsequently opened fire on the victims and fled with all of the victims’ cellphones,” Gantana added.
No arrests have been made.
In another unrelated shooting in Wells Estate, on 26 April, three people died and five others suffered serious injuries.
According to police reports, the shooting stemmed from a roadside altercation between two drivers, with one leaving the scene and threatening reprisal on his return.
Moments later, a shooting occurred at the home of the other driver in Msinga Street, in which two people were shot dead on the scene and a third died in hospital. Five other people also suffered gunshot wounds, but survived the shooting.
The deceased have since been identified as Mxolisi Maswana (60), Maxhosa Nombana (30), and Donrique Scheepers (19).
Three weeks later, Lukhanyo Mekula (27) was arrested for the fatal shooting.
He was subsequently linked to another violent incident in February 2023, and while the details have not been disclosed, the police said he faces charges of attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and malicious damage to property in addition to the murder and attempted murder charges for the April shooting.
He has abandoned his bail application and is due to return to court on 26 June.
Police implore NMB communities to remain calm
In light of the recent spate of violent crime, Eastern Cape provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Vuyisile Ncata implored residents of Nelson Mandela Bay to remain calm amid mounting tension over the ongoing violence.
“We are dealing with ruthless individuals who showed no regard for human life. Our teams are working tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to book. We urge anyone with information, no matter how small, to come forward.”
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Estelle-terrorrocklands_1.jpg "Eastern Cape provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Vuyisile Ncata. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)")
He also commended the efforts of detectives that led to the arrests of the suspects before court.
“These arrests demonstrate the relentless efforts of our detectives to track down those responsible for violent crimes. Their professionalism, persistence, and tireless work have brought us a step closer to ensuring justice for the victims and their families.”
He said these arrests show the police commitment to ridding the streets of violent criminals.
The MEC for community safety, Xolile Nqatha, has labelled the recent spate of violence in the metro as “barbaric and inhumane”, and said his office is engaging with the police to address the community’s concerns.
“The recent rise in horrific attacks and criminal activities poses a serious threat to our communities and seeks to undermine the efforts of the SAPS in combating crime in the district. We want to send a strong message to criminals that no amount of intimidation will deter SAPS from protecting the citizens of this province.
“The government, together with SAPS, is intensifying crime-fighting strategies to protect the citizens of Nelson Mandela District. We extend our deepest condolences to the families affected and wish a speedy recovery to those injured,” Nqatha said.
Gantana said the police and government’s calls for calm are purely a precautionary measure as they understand people’s concerns and the resulting tension within the affected communities.
In response to calls for action against foreign nationals, she said there is currently no indication of communities threatening to take the law into their own hands.
“As SAPS, we recognise the community’s concerns but caution against generalising based on one suspect’s nationality. The judicial process is under way, and we urge the public to respect it. Any form of vigilantism or xenophobia will not be tolerated. SAPS remains committed to impartial enforcement of the law,” Gantana said. DM