- Bafana Jikane (30), a vendor who sold tripe next to the barber shop, will be buried in his home town in Cacadu (Lady Frere), Eastern Cape.
- Two men, aged 24 and 28, were arrested on Tuesday 11 June in connection with the incident.
- Khayelitsha Police Station commander Brig Mononeleli Magobiyane conceded local police had failed the families of the deceased.
The funeral of one of the deceased in a gruesome killing that occurred in Qwarha Street, Site C nearly two weeks ago will take place on Saturday 22 June.
Bafana Jikane (30), a vendor who sold tripe next to the barber shop, will be buried in his home town in Cacadu (Lady Frere), Eastern Cape. He was among the four people, including a five-year-old child, who were shot dead by unknown people on Saturday 8 June.
Two men, aged 24 and 28, were arrested on Tuesday 11 June in connection with the incident.
They appeared at the Khayelitsha Magistrates Court on Friday 14 June. The case was postponed to next month.
Bafana’s brother Thando (25) said he was devastated by the incident. He was speaking at a memorial service held at the local Methodist church on Thursday 13 June.
He said he still could not believe his elder brother was dead, describing him as a straightforward person.
“He was a nice person and disciplined, rebuking me whenever I did something wrong,” said Jikane.
Relating how he heard about his brother’s death, he said he was at home when he received a call from his eldest brother instructing him to hurry up and go to the barber shop.
“As I was approaching the scene I saw many people with the police. The officers had already cordoned the crime scene. I saw my brother lying at the door of the barber shop, where his meat stall was and his face was covered.”
Jikane added his brother was shot several times in the upper body including the head.
Speakers at the memorial service described the incident as shocking and appealed for unity.
Khayelitsha Police Station commander Brig Mononeleli Magobiyane conceded local police had failed the families of the deceased.
“As a station commander I’m saying sorry to all the deceased families,” he said. “We failed you as officers. We should have protected them, but we didn’t do that. We failed them.
“After all, it is the responsibility of the police to protect the community.”
Magobiyane cited drugs and alcohol as having an impact on increasing crime levels in the area. He said the Khayelitsha Police Station is among the top 30 stations of 1 000 canvassed every quarter that have to deal with very high levels of crime. “Sometimes the culprits are known to the community, but they choose to keep quiet.”
He said since there has been an outbreak of extortion many people have died for no reason. Community leader Joseph Langa urged the community to be united. He said they had a challenge with informants in their ranks.
“We used to have a WhatsApp group as community leaders,” he said, “but we discovered that there are some among us who take the information in the group and send it to other people outside. One of our members was attacked because of that.”
However, he vowed he and others would continue fighting for the community.
Khayelitsha Spiritual Crime Prevention Forum member and leader of Lukhanyiselo Zion Church of God, which is based in Site B, Rev Nozikhungo Tshona urged all the community stakeholders to work together to fight crime.
“We are still asking ourselves what was the motive behind the incident. Why did the culprits kill innocent children?
“As church leaders, we need to chastise this demon. We need to ask God to protect us.”
Enzo Dladlu (5) was buried on Saturday 15 June at Kuils River cemetery.
As for the other two, it is not clear when they would be buried.
Eric Ntabazalila, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the province, said Athule Mtsha and Sithisa Masiko appeared at Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 19 June.
“They are charged with four counts of murder, 11 counts of attempted murder, two of illegal possession of firearms, two of illegal possession of ammunition and one of robbery with aggravating circumstances,” he said, adding that their case had been postponed until Tuesday 2 and Friday 5 July for bail application.
