The family of Eugene Linda Shabalala who was killed allegedly by an Ekurhuleni metro police officer during a violent protest in Tembisa, tried to get to the scene but were unable to as roads were blocked by residents.
Shabalala was gunned down when an officer leaned against the boundary wall and shot him outside a house on George Nyanga Drive opposite the Rabasotho Customer Care Centre, which was looted and partly burnt. Cars were also torched.
Shabalala, who was an onlooker as protesters ran amok, died at the scene. His family wants to know why he was killed.
His sister Thembi Letsolo said she was distraught and that her brother was killed just 35 minutes after she spoke to him on WhatsApp.
“He sent us a video at around 9.11am, showing us what was happening outside their yard. The videos showed people protesting and burning the community customer centre,” Letsolo said.
“At 9.45am, I received a call from his girlfriend who told me that he was gunned down by a police officer and that he was lying dead on the ground. I lost my mind.
“He was a very hands-on person and loved cooking. I want to know why they shot him when he was in the yard.”
She said the family tried to go to the scene where their brother's body had been but could not as roads were blocked.
They could only watch in frustration as updates of their brother's death flooded the internet and social media.
Shabalala's body had been lying in the backyard of the house covered in a white and blue sheet for over five hours before forensic pathologists could gain entry to the yard.
At around 4pm, a pathology van escorted by two police armoured vehicles, the Nyala, arrived.
“We also tried to drive into Tembisa but couldn't. All the roads were blocked with rocks and protesters turned us back. We called the police to tell them that there was a casualty and if they could at least escort us into the area but they said there was nothing they could do.
“It broke my heart that my brother's body was just lying there cold for so long without being collected.”
The father of three, affectionately known as Biggie, worked as a chef at a restaurant in Germiston.
Three other men died during the protest. Two of them were killed when a gas cylinder exploded when they were trying to bomb an ATM.
However, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesperson Lizzy Suping, said the information they had said all four men were killed by police.
"According to our information, four people were allegedly killed by the police during the service delivery protest in Tembisa yesterday.
"We are investigating the cases. Our investigators have reconstructed the crime scene and also interviewed some of the witnesses."
Yesterday, the aftermath of the violence lingered with roads still blocked with rubble and bystander froze in shock as they looked at the damaged centre.
City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said parts of the township are currently without power supply due to a substation that was set alight by protesters.
The affected areas include parts of Tembisa 1, Clayville, Olifantsfontein, Winnie Mandela and Birch Acres Extension 23 to 35.
"While the city is aware of the current situation regarding the power in the area, unfortunately our technicians are unable to attend to the problem as the situation in the township remains volatile – thus putting their lives at risk.
"The city commits to attend to the outage as soon as the situation on the ground becomes stable and the safety of the workers can be guaranteed," Dlamini said.
Some roads in the township remained closed with small groups of people preventing cars from passing.
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