One of the seven people who were admitted in hospital following the mass shooting at Mdlalose's tavern has had both his legs amputated – and his hands are next.
The 25-year-old from the Western Cape was shot 13 times, with most of the bullets hitting his legs, which were amputated from below the knee at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital a week ago.
“The doctors told me that the bullets used in the shooting were laced with something and my legs had to be cut off to prevent the ‘poison’ from further spreading to other parts of my body,” said the survivor when Sowetan visited him in hospital earlier this week.
He was lying on his back, his upper body covered with a sheet, while his fresh wounds were bandaged. His cellphone laid by his pillow.
“I am still reachable on the phone my brother, don’t let these bandages fool you,” he jokingly said when a text message came through on his handset.
Because of the injuries to his hands, nurses and other patients now assist him to answer his phone.
His right hand in which a steel rod was inserted to help him recover can only master a slight movement. His left hand was severely injured and will be amputated soon.
“Tonight (Tuesday) I’ve been booked for theatre to remove my left hand. What has happened to me is painful but I have accepted my condition. The law must deal with those killers but I have made peace with my condition.
“I am grateful that I am still alive and I can still go on to achieve great things in life despite my current condition,” said the survivor who came to Johannesburg in 2021 to seek employment.
Before his life was dramatically changed by the July mass shooting at the Mdlalose's tavern, the man relied on doing garden and landscaping jobs in Soweto for a living.
Now he intends to be a motivational speaker and wants to use the incident and the trauma he suffered as content for his talks. “The time I have spent in hospital has given me a chance to reshape my life. When I leave this hospital I want to inspire people to believe in themselves and not to easily give up on life. I want my story to show people that nothing is impossible,” he said with a beaming smile.
Sixteen patrons were killed when a group of men armed with AK-47s randomly opened fire inside the tavern.
Five people appeared in the Orlando magistrate's court on Monday on charges linked to numerous shootings in Soweto. The suspects cannot be named as an identity parade has not yet been conducted.
One of the accused is a former Hawks member in Klerksdorp, North West, and is said to have fed police false information during their probe into the Mdlalose's tavern matter, allegedly in order to thwart their investigation.
Hawks spokesperson Brig Thandi Mbambo said: “I can’t discuss any details pertaining to his employment within the directorate but I can confirm that he left the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation to the SAPS detectives in October 2016. He resigned from the SAPS in 2020.”
nzimandeb@sowetan.co.za
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