Family shattered as they come face-to-face with Jukulyn murder suspects

The two men accused of gunning down four people in the Jukulyn section of Soshanguve, north of Tshwane, appeared in the Soshanguve magistrate’s court on Thursday, where their case was postponed to January 12 for a formal bail application.

Sipho Kgomo and Tshepo Mosemeni face four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

TimesLIVE understands that the two men are from the same area where the shooting occurred.  They were arrested early Tuesday.

Their victims were named as police constable Mpho Kgobotlo, Phomolang Malakapatlo, Thandi Dlamini and Vuyolethu Ziwele. 

According to a witness, two cars approached the street where they were on the morning of New Year’s Day shortly after midnight. Three men alighted from the cars carrying rifles and wearing black bulletproof vests. They opened fire.

Entering a courtroom full of family and community members, the crowd reacted as the duo walked into the dock.

Two buses had been used to ferry community members to court.

The docket was initially delayed, and when it eventually arrived, the senior prosecutor had to take some time to study the docket.

Magistrate Swart addressed the investigating officer, expressing his displeasure with the delays.

“I know you are in a specialised unit but I didn’t think you specialise in being late,” he said.

The family of the youngest victim, 14-year-old Vuyolethu, are still shattered by the incident. Speaking outside court, her aunt Yandiswa Nhlapo said the family is crushed. She said she was even more hurt when she saw the accused in court.

“The obvious fact is that I know they are going to come back, I know that they won’t rot in jail, while our niece is underground because of them,” she said.

“We are broken. There is no other way we can explain it, we are broken, we are crushed.  [The] mother is 65-years-old. She just lost her daughter. She doesn’t have anyone.  We are broken, we are crushed, and the only thing we can ask is for them to change the way they do things and jail them forever. That’s the only thing we ask from them.”

Phomolang’s uncle Zingisile Jonga said their family is also in  pain.

“We are still in pain. Yes, we have seen the suspects but I don’t think there is a change in how we feel, except to say we will see if justice will take its course,” he said.

Jonga said Phomolang had also suffered a tragic death, similar to that of her mother, who died in 2001.

“I still remember when her mother passed on, it also appeared in the newspapers. She was killed by a boyfriend. Phomolang was still a toddler and she was found playing with her mother’s corpse, not aware that she had passed on,” he said.

He said after the traumatic experience it was difficult to raise her, but they finally had a breakthrough as she was finally opening up.

“It was difficult for us to raise her, she grew up as a quiet child until she went to tertiary, and we struggled to take her to tertiary. When she passed, everybody was happy that at least she was starting to open up. She went for counselling for a long time. For her to go like this — after we thought she was relieved and seeing that her life is going somewhere — is very difficult.

 “Phomolang was the flower of the house. She is a child who was special.”

Jonga said he had spoken to the family to consider moving from the area.

“I was speaking to family that we should relocate and leave because we have bad memories of that place,” he said.

Tshepang Boikanyo, councillor of ward 88 in Soshanguve, said the area is a no-go area for many businesses.

“Even I as a councillor I am failing to attract investors. There was a housing project which was supposed to come but they decided they are no longer coming because of the high level of crime. The high level of crime impacts negatively on the market.

“Deliveries that come this side, emergency services and medical services cannot reach this side without police escort. We are in a position where it was a ticking time bomb, but unfortunately this time it also took a minor,” he said.

Rev Joseph Chabangu from the South African Council of Churches said Jukulyn has a high rate of crime.

“Last time people came into the tavern and started to shoot randomly at people. We don’t know where that case is. We are saying let us have a police station, not even a satellite police station, because our community in Soshanguve is growing. While it is growing, crime also is growing, unemployment is growing. There are no services that are entering Juklyn, if a person is sick the ambulance cannot go in there because of crime and police visibility is there, but they are always reactive and not proactive,” Chabangu said.

He said crimes like cash heists,  gangsterism, and rape are rife in the area.

“We don’t have the capacity to fight this. We don’t have enough police to fight this. We are saying to the government, please let us join hands and fight this.

“There are many guns in the wrong hands, like these guys [who were] arrested, they are very young and I think they should be working, at school or doing something for the community, they have disappointed us and their parents.”

A memorial service for the victims was scheduled to take place on Thursday. 

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