Cape Town – Members of the Imbali community in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), as well as relatives of a family of four that was brutally murdered last week, are reportedly living in fear for their safety.
Bheki Hlela, 53, a pastor at a local church, Ntombi, 42, Siphokazi, 15, and Siwinile Nzimande, 24, were all gunned down while sleeping on Thursday night, according to IOL.
However, an 8-year-old boy escaped the shootings unharmed.
A terrified and still in shock family relative who did not want to be identified told her side of the story.
“I received a phone call from my other brother in the early hours of Friday morning informing me about the gunshots at our family home. I went to my brother’s house as fast as I could. Just after I got there the eight-year-old knocked on the door and informed us that our father had been shot. We called the police,” he said,” the report quoted the relative as saying.
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The relative went on to say that the four people killed were the family’s primary breadwinners.
“We are left stranded as children. We have no idea what to do after the funeral as the only people who provided for the family have been killed in cold blood. We are in shock and confused. We are all unemployed. The head of the family and the sister were the only ones working,” he said.
According to Times Live, Mthembeni Basi, a relative of the Hlela four, committed suicide after hearing the news.
Nonhlanhla Khoza, MEC for Social Development in KwaZulu-Natal, said during her visit to the bereaved family that the provincial government had held a cabinet meeting where the issue of multiple murder killings in the country was discussed.
She said that the community safety department had been tasked with coming up with a solution to the problem.
“Yes, we could find out who the killer is. But what we should find out is who is the mastermind who hatches a plot to kill. We now lack morals as people,” said Khoza as quoted by the report.
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Compiled by Sinothando Siyolo
