Africa-Press – South-Africa. When load shedding hit on Saturday evening, Thapelo Phiri walked to a local spaza shop to buy candles.
Phiri, 20, wanted his eight-year-old twin brothers to have some light during load shedding.
But Phiri never made it home — instead, he was shot dead in the street.
Phiri’s murder was one of at least seven that has rocked the Thembelihle informal settlement since Thursday.
In one incident, a group of men were playing dice on Sunday when they were shot at.
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Police spokesperson Brigadier Mavela Masondo said a manhunt had been launched after four people died in the attack and two others were injured.
In another incident over the weekend, a 36-year-old man was killed when he was robbed of his bicycle and cellphone.
Speaking to News24 on Monday, Phiri’s mother, Janet Rampeoane, said she had left the informal settlement on Friday to go to work in Lombardy East.
Rampeoane is usually at work on weekdays and comes home on Fridays. But last week she was not, as her employer asked her to care for her elderly mother.
“I was at work and received a call that he had been shot. I was told he was walking to the shops when it happened,” she said.
She said Phiri hardly left their home because he cared for his young siblings.
“He loved music and soccer. He was also focused on his schoolwork,” she said.
Phiri was completing matric at a local high school.
Rampeoane said that since his death his classmates had been calling her.
She said:
Rampeoane said her son hoped to train as a prison warder next year.
“His father had found him a school in the Free State and he was very excited about it. All his text messages to his father were about that,” she said.
A neighbour, Teboho Maoba, said: “Thapelo was very serious about school. All he did was study and take care of the twins. When you wanted him, you knew you’d find him at home.”
Maoba said last year Phiri and his friends had a dance crew, but it was stopped, so he could concentrate on matric.
“He was very excited about next year and training to be a prison warder. That is all he talked about. He wanted to change his family’s life,” he said.
A few houses from Phiri’s home, another family was grieving after Mzayifane Mdube was murdered while walking back from church on Thursday.
His partner, Tenele Mathenjwa, said when Mdube was not working to install windows, he was at church.
His sister, Phumzile Motaung, said she was called to the scene and was shocked to find the father-of-three on the ground, lifeless.
Motaung said:
A local councillor, Godfrey Lebea, said fear had gripped the area.
“There is a scene of worry and distress in the community, thanks to this rampage of [shootings]. The idea that people can go around shooting randomly is causing a lot of worries. No one is happy in the area. It is very quiet, and everyone is at home because they are scared,” he said.
Masondo said police were investigating five cases of murder and two of attempted murder, but they had not yet confirmed the murders of Phiri and Mdube.
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