The family of a community activist who is said to have been shot dead while on duty in Siphingo, Durban, is mourning the death.
Mr Mthobisi Gasa (38), a native of Mbotho, Harding, who was living in Siphingo for work, was shot by three unknown suspects on Thursday night.
According to a relative who asked not to be named, the deceased was with his colleagues cleaning the road when they were attacked by unknown people.
“If we heard, these people opened fire on Mthobisi and shot the person he was with. It is said that when they shot him as he fell, his colleague ran away and ran into the car that was allegedly waiting for the suspects because those inside started insulting him,” said the relative.
He said that when they arrived at the scene of the incident as a family, they heard the witnesses of the incident saying that it was done by foreigners, and he said that this made the pain very difficult.
“We wonder if they came to this country to kill people? Since they stay there by force, which means they stay there, they keep killing the people of this country. We also wonder if they leave, how many will they kill?” said the relative.
His brother described him as a person who stood up for the truth, and we said that he was at the forefront of social issues such as the March and March.
“He was just killed, he was on the march on Tuesday. On the day of the march, he even called us saying he was checking to see if we were okay because they were still beating us in Durban,” he said.
He said that he had not put himself down in politics as he had a position in his Siphingo branch.
He said his killing has created a big hole in the family as he is now the oldest man in the house.
“The house is left with her little sister now. It’s just bad because she was trusted with many things. Those who killed her are like they killed us alive,” said a relative who said they don’t want to know the killers.
The leader of the organization against illegal immigrants, March and March, Mrs. Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, on her Facebook page, expressed concern about the killing of immigrants.
He said three people in the country have been killed by immigrants in different areas.
“When we talk about this, they tell us that there are no official statistics to confirm what we are saying. Three people have been killed in South Africa. When will the government address this issue,” said Mrs. Ngobese-Zuma.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said the Siphingo police are investigating a case of murder following an incident where a man was shot dead.
“The incident took place at the corner of Kajee and Hillview roads on Friday. The police came to the scene following reports that someone had been killed,” said Netshiunda.
He went on to say that when the police arrived at the scene, the deceased was confirmed as a 38-year-old municipal employee.
“He was lying in a pool of blood, with a number of gunshot wounds. Reports say that the deceased was busy cleaning the road when he was attacked by three unknown men, who went straight to him, opened fire, and ran away,” said Netshiunda, who said that the cause of the killing is currently unknown, adding that the police are still investigating.