- The African National Congress’s Dullah Omar Region gave R10 000 to nine families who lost loved ones in a mass shooting in Philippi East.
- The victims, including the tavern owner, were gunned down by unknown attackers in the Marikana informal settlement earlier this month.
Nine families who lost loved ones in a tavern massacre in Philippi East have asked the African National Congress for help to bury them with dignity.
The victims were inside a tavern in the Marikana informal settlement when unknown men opened fire, killing nine people. The female tavern owner was one of the victims.
A family member, who survived the shooting, said he had stepped outside for a moment when the shooting started.
“I was drinking with my brother. I went out for not even two minutes when I heard gunshots. I had to hide. I couldn’t go back in until the attackers were gone,” he said.
“When I ran inside, I found my brother lying in a pool of blood. He had been shot in the head, along with the others.”
The family had just returned to Cape Town after the December holidays.
“We don’t have money to bury our loved ones. Some families don’t even have funeral policies. That’s why we’re asking for help,” said the family member.
Ndithini Tyhido, regional chairperson of the ANC’s Dullah Omar Region, visited the families and donated R10 000.
“Your pain is our pain,” he said. “This money is to help you buy bread, sugar or something small for visitors who come to mourn with you.”
Tyhido said he would try to raise more support. “I won’t make promises, but I will speak to people I believe can help and I’ll come back to you,” he told the families.
Pictured above: Ndithini Tyhido, Western Cape regional chairperson for the Dullah Omar Region, donated R10 000 to grieving families.
Image Credit: Buziwe Nocuze
