‘A cop shot me in the neck while my arms were raised’

A Gauteng motorist is lucky to be alive after being shot in the neck, allegedly by a police officer.

Oupa Mahlangu, 52, from Stinkwater, north of Pretoria, was shot in the neck on June 17. The bullet exited through his nose, leaving him fighting for his life in hospital.

The father of four was returning with his relative, Frans Mahlangu and two other occupants, from a funeral when he was stopped by police who pointed firearms at him near Ga-Moeka village.

Mahlangu said after initially driving past the police, he was surprised when a police van followed him and drove alongside his BMW, waving and ordering him to stop while other officers pointed firearms at him.

“Just after getting out of the car with my hands up, I heard a gunshot and didn’t immediately realise I had been shot,” Mahlangu said.

He said soon thereafter he heard Frans shouting: “Why are you shooting my brother?”

“I felt like I was sweating, but it was blood rolling down my body from my neck,” he said.

Mahlangu said he can’t understand why he was shot as he didn’t pose any danger and was co-operating fully.

“I can’t point out the police officer who shot me, but I would like to ask him why he did it.”

Mahlangu remembers hearing one of the cops shortly after he was shot, saying to someone on the phone: “So, it’s a white BMW that we are looking for?”

He said police were apparently acting on a tip-off that a white BMW was carrying illegal firearms.

Mahlangu drives a grey BMW 1 Series model.

He said he had begun to feel dizzy a few minutes after being shot.

“When my body went cold, I went back to the car to get my phone. However, I lost consciousness and the next moment I woke up in a ward at Dr George Mukhari Hospital on Tuesday [three days later],” Mahlangu said.

He underwent surgery and was discharged a week later.

The Independent Police Investigating Directorate (Ipid) confirmed on Friday that it was aware of Mahlangu’s incident.

Ipid spokesperson Robbie Raburabu said a case of attempted murder is being investigated.

“No arrest has been made ... investigations are still being conducted,” Raburabu said.

Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone, spokesperson of the North West police, said: “We are aware of the incident and confirm that a case of attempted murder has been opened.”

Police have recently come under fire for being heavy-handed after eight members of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s security detail were caught on video kicking occupants of a VW Polo on the N1 freeway last month.

The eight were released on R10,000 bail each on Tuesday.

Mahlangu has been bedridden since the shooting. His hearing has been affected, and he is missing several teeth. He said he battled to chew and had lost weight because he could not eat solid food.

He said the investigating officer told him the police officer who shot him said in his statement that he thought Mahlangu was reaching for a firearm.

“How can I reach for a firearm while I was on my two feet with my arms raised?” Mahlangu asked.

He said he was concerned that the investigation was taking so long despite there being witnesses in the vehicle and other officers at the scene.

“These are the people meant to protect us, but they almost killed me, despite me having stopped when they ordered me to because I am a law-abiding citizen.”

Mahlangu works as a driver for a company owned by his relative and has been forced to take time off work to fully recover. He says he has run out of money for medical expenses and is consulting lawyers as he intends to sue the police.

“My lawyer is already working on the matter,” Mahlangu said.