Everson Luhanga
More than 10 people have been shot, with one person reported to have died, after an alleged group of Basotho nationals opened fire on residents of Pimville in Soweto.
The target of the shooting appears to have been Operation Dudula leader Nhlanhla Lux Dlamini, who led a group of residents into the gang’s neighbourhood to investigate allegations of cable theft.
The group was then ambushed by the armed men who opened fire on them.
Among the victims of the shooting was Dlamini’s deputy Thokozan Shoba, who was shot in the leg.
In an exclusive interview with Scrolla.Africa from his home in Pimville in the aftermath of the shooting, Dlamini said the area has been without electricity for about five days due to the cable theft.
“We have no electricity in our area,” he said.
“Residents are frustrated with continued blackouts caused by cable theft.”
He said residents received information about cable theft at a certain location and went to inspect the site to see if it was causing the blackouts.
“It was a group of old women and a few men who went to check.
“While passing a squatter camp with most people living there being people from Lesotho and Zimbabwe, we heard some gunshots,” he said.
He said as chaos ensued, other people from the camp also started firing live ammunition randomly that hit several people.
“Women fell over each other as they tried to take cover from flying bullets. It wasn’t a good scene at all.”
Dlamini said that one of the Basotho leaders told Dlamini that the people from the squatter camp were hostile because they were being harassed by some men living in a nearby hostel.
“The Basotho nationals were taking revenge on the wrong group when they thought it was a group of Zulus who they had a fight with some days back,” Dlamini said.
Scrolla.Africa traced Thokozani Shoba, who was shot in his left leg. He said he was trying to run away when a bullet was fired and went through his leg.
“I could be dead now if the bullet had struck me in the upper body,” said Thokozani.
