The mother of a 15-year-old boy who was allegedly shot dead by a white man in Lichtenburg‚ North West‚ says she will never forget how her son died.
Joseph ‘Spense’ Tshukudu was allegedly shot by a man driving a white bakkie on Monday during a service delivery protest in Blydeville.
The grade nine pupil was not at school because schools were disrupted due to the violent protest.
His mother‚ Lillian Tshukudu‚ said 30 minutes before he died‚ he came home after taking his father halfway to work and asked her to give him his favourite blanket.
“He wrapped it around his shoulder and left. I looked at him while going away. After arriving at the main road where there was a protest‚ he danced with his blanket on‚” she said.
Tshukudu said she then went back inside the house‚ 30 minutes later‚ her son’s friend came running in to say his eye was injured.
“I got confused‚ I became weak immediately‚ I could not go there‚” she said.
Her relative Harry Moepeng went to the scene and confirmed that Spense was shot and that he had died.
“He had a bullet wound between his eyes‚ he was lying on his stomach with his blanket still on‚” he said.
Moepeng said the suspect missed two of Spense’s friends aged 17 and 20.
“He fired two shots‚ it missed both his friends‚ but Spense was not lucky as the third bullet hit him‚” he said.
He said the suspect who stopped on the road because it was barricaded‚ got out of his car and allegedly told the group of protesters that he was going to kill them.
After allegedly shooting Spense‚ the man got into his bakkie and drove off‚ Moepeng said.
His mother also blames government for “lying” to the community. “If government had not lied maybe my son could have still been alive. These people protested because they were lied to by government‚” she charged.
North West police spokesman Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said a 46-year-old man was will appear before the Lichtenburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday on one count of murder and two of counts of attempted murder.
- SowetanLIVE
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