“I did not know why I had to die so violently but I was ready to meet my maker, and my little prayer was that the gunmen must only kill me and spare the lives of my children and my wife.”
These are the words of Fundile Ngqwangele who was shot at, together with his family members, while preparing to lay his daughter, Lucia, 44, a revered sangoma, to rest on Saturday.
The family was attacked on Thursday night at Mmangweni village in Ngcobo.
As Ngqwangele met six male family members outside near the animal kraal, four gunmen descended upon them, unleashing a hail of bullets.
The aftermath was horrific — three lives lost, including two of Ngqwangele’s sons and a relative, while Ngqwangele himself and another son were wounded.
“We were finalising funeral arrangements for my daughter when two men approached, one carrying what looked like a knobkerrie — later revealed to be a rifle.
“Assuming they were there for evening prayer, I was about to direct them to the main house when they opened fire. I felt searing pain in my right leg, which went numb, and I collapsed.
“As the men continued shooting, I begged them to spare my children and wife. One gunman approached me and I expected the worst, but instead of finishing me off, he shot me in the leg again.
“I braced for another shot, but he turned his attention to others. Two other men stood guard at the gate, firing at anyone trying to escape,” the elderly man recounted.
When the dust settled, the devastating aftermath revealed three bodies — Ngqwangele’s sons, Zukile, 50, and Cebisile, 39, and their relative, Zimasile Ngqutwana, 30, who was Zukile’s brother-in-law.
The sons had travelled from their workplaces — Zukile, a taxi boss from Cape Town, and Cebisile from the Free State — to attend their sister’s funeral, scheduled for Sunday.
They had arrived just four days before, on Monday.
“I was left grappling with the trauma of that moment,” Ngqwangele said.
Acting provincial police commissioner Major-General Thandiswa Kupiso has appealed to the community for assistance in piecing together the events surrounding the incident.
“We urge anyone with information to come forward and help us track down the suspects,” Kupiso said.
She said a team of seasoned detectives had been assembled and resources mobilised to arrest the culprits.
The Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit is investigating three counts of murder and two of attempted murder.
The mass shooting occurred at about 7.30pm on Thursday at Mmangweni village in the Tshapile administrative area near Ngcobo.
“Five family members mourning the death of a relative were shot by two armed men who stormed their Mmangweni location home in the Dalasile policing area near Ngcobo.
“Three victims, aged between 30 and 50, were fatally wounded, while the other two sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to hospital. The motive for the attack is yet to be established,” police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli said.
When the Daily Dispatch visited the bereaved home on Friday afternoon, they were shown a 9mm empty cartridge police had allegedly missed during their initial collection.
Ngqwangele, who was discharged from All Saints Hospital in Ngcobo alongside his son, was struggling to walk due to his injuries.
“We are living in fear, unsure of the motive behind this attack. If it is related to taxi violence, it should not be targeting innocent people mourning their loved ones,” Ngqwangele said.
“I have no enemies. All I want is for the police to provide security and ensure we can bury our family members safely without fear of further attacks.”
Dr AB Xuma mayor Siyabulela Zangqa echoed Ngqwangele’s concerns, calling for swift arrests.
“My condolences go out to the families who lost loved ones, and I wish a speedy recovery to those injured. We urge the community to remain calm.”
Daily Dispatch
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