NOLUVO MGIJIMA
IT has been a difficult week for the rural community of Magqabasini in Flagstaff after the lives of seven young people were cut short in a shooting incident in the Western Cape.
Four of the seven victims were from the village of Mfundisweni in Flagstaff, Eastern Cape.
They were: Wandile Dobe (27), Sanele Mkhwizana (31), Simbongile Mbaligotsi (27) and Maphelo Msuthu (28).
The shooting occurred in Phillipi, Cape Town, on October 17.
Distraught communities and families have been mourning since the murder of the victims. Siyolise Mbaligotsi, Simbongile’s aunt, said her nephew left home to seek better opportunities in the Western Cape.
“The brutal murder brought devastation to the family. Simbongile was everything in the family,” she said. Dobe’s uncle Zipho Mhlekazi was also saddened by the incident. Three of the victims, Dobe, Mkhwizana and Mbaligotsi, were friends and neighbours. Three victims will be buried on Saturday, November 1, and the other one on the following day.
A call was made on social media to assist the families of the victims to bury their loved ones, and according to traditional leader, Inkosi Madoda Faku, people responded with open hearts and donations.
He added that a funeral parlour offered to assist the families. On Wednesday night, bodies of the victims were transported from Western Cape to Flagstaff. Western Cape police confirmed the arrest of seven suspects in connection with the brutal murders of the victims.
The suspects, aged between 16 and 22, were traced and apprehended during a series of well-coordinated operations that followed days of intensive investigation and intelligence-driven efforts, police said in a statement.
SAPS Western Cape provincial commissioner Lieutenant General (Adv.) Thembisile Patekile has praised the swift actions of both the detectives and Crime Intelligence, describing the arrests as a clear message to those who perpetrate violence.
“We will not tolerate ruthless acts of violence that destroy lives and destabilise our communities,” he said.
Police assured its zero-tolerance approach to violent crimes and assured communities that they will continue to pursue every lead until all those responsible are brought to justice.
