One of the people who were injured when a gunman shot randomly at patrons at a tavern in Zithobeni, Bronkhorstspruit, said he dived under a snooker table when he saw sparks flash from the gun.
Recalling the harrowing attack at the weekend, Sello Sedikane, 26, said he was playing snooker with his friends at Qedukoma Tavern when he heard gunshots and hid under the table as bullets flew inside the packed tavern.
Five people were killed and six others injured.
Sedikane said the gunman left for a few moments before reentering the tavern, shooting his gun again.
"As I looked up to see if it was safe, he then returned. I think that is when I got shot on the leg, which was exposed," he said.
However, Sedikane said he was not immediately aware of his gun wound during the chaos until someone asked him why he was wet. He found out that it was blood.
"I didn't feel the bullet penetrating me. I only heard from people asking me why my leg was wet, and that is when I saw that I had been shot."
Sedikane was rushed to a local clinic for medical attention. He said he did not know the shooter and did not see his face.
However, according to Gauteng police's report on the matter, the two attackers are well-known in the community. Spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili said officers responded to the shooting incident at around 1.30am on Sunday.
"It is reported by witnesses that two men known in the community came into the tavern and demanded that one of the patrons hand over his licensed firearm. A shot went off and when the patrons ran outside, the suspects fired randomly. The patron with a firearm was shot and injured and his firearm was taken.
It is reported by witnesses that two men known in the community came into the tavern and demanded that one of the patrons hand over his licensed firearm.
— Brig Brenda Muridili
"The injured patron whose firearm was taken will be charged with contravention of the Firearms Control Act, Act 60 of 2000, for the negligent handling of his 9mm pistol."
Muridili said a case of five counts of murder and six attempted murder has been registered.
When a Sowetan team arrived in the area, about 50km east of Pretoria, on Monday, the tavern remained closed and had been barricaded with a police tape.
Next to the tavern is the grieving family of one of the five people who were killed, Thembi Mtsweni, 26.
Her sister Betty Mahlangu, 42, said they were having fun at the tavern with Mtsweni before tragedy struck just minutes after she left the tavern in the early hours of Sunday to go home to wear something warmer.
Mahlangu did not return to the tavern as she ended up falling asleep at home.
"I was woken up by residents who broke down my door because I was fast asleep and they told me my sister was gone," she recalled.
"When I got there, she was lying on the floor, bleeding profusely. I asked her what I would tell her two children. It’s really painful how she died.”
According to Mahlangu, other patrons said her sister was leaving the tavern when gunfire erupted.
"She was very happy that day and we were just having fun, and the tavern was packed to capacity. I remember her telling me to take care of her children as she wanted to have more fun."
Mtsweni is survived by her two children, aged five years, and seven months.
Mahlangu said she did not know who the perpetrators were but that as a community they are used to hearing gunshots from people fooling around and shooting to the sky.
Tavern owner Phindile Nkuna, 32, said Mtsweni was leaving the place to go check on her seven-month-old baby when a man ran into the tavern under pursuit by the gunman. When he shot, the bullet hit Mtsweni instead, Nkuna said.
Mtsweni collapsed and the gunman shot the man he had missed the first time. While the man survived, Mtsweni died at the scene.
"Thembi said she wanted to go check on her child. As she was leaving, I heard the first gunshot and then I heard it the second time and that is when she fell down," said Nkuna.
"As I was about to run to her aid, that is when the shooter continued to shoot. I lay down to take cover. Thembi was right next to me, and when she opened her eyes, I thought she was still alive but when I checked again she was unresponsive.
"This whole thing still feels like a movie. I am still in disbelief. Yes, people bring firearms to the tavern or play with them outside but I never thought people would ever lose their lives," she said.
The portfolio committee on community safety in the Gauteng provincial legislature condemned the incident, describing it as a senseless act of violence.
"This tragedy underscores the urgent need to address the proliferation and misuse of firearms, particularly in social spaces such as taverns, which are increasingly becoming hotspots for violent crime," said chairperson of the committee Bandile Masuku.
"We believe that reducing the number of firearms in circulation, both legal and illegal, is essential to restoring safety and dignity in our communities," Masuku said.
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