Kamogelo Muvhenzhe
What did Joel Masila mean when he wrote, “In the end an innocent man turns guilty. This is huge and some went through thin ice,” in a note he left for his family?
On Sunday, Joel Masila, 35, from Ga-Matsea village outside Mankweng, Limpopo, killed his cousin Sarah Makwela, 25 and then shot his aunt Joyce Moreroa, 50, and her cousin with his brother’s service weapon. Joyce died but the cousin survived.
Later, in a hostage situation that lasted for hours, Joel was shot and killed by the police.
His confusing note also included these words: “Cremate my body. Life is too sweet and short, unjust, unfair, too controversial and deep.”
According to relatives, Joel arrived at his cousin’s home around 6am in Mshongo Ville Section where he left his brother’s car, took Sarah to a nearby stream where he shot her twice before shooting Joyce and the girl.
Joyce’s husband Frans said he treated Joel as his son and took him to Gauteng to help him find a job. They worked together for years until Joel was retrenched.
“I don’t know what drove him to hurt my family like this,” he said.
Family member Nkele Makwela said they want tough actions to be taken against Joel’s brother, who is a traffic cop, for leaving his pistol in the car.
“He helped his brother to kill my sister,” she said.
She said they didn’t know that Joel had shot their sister until the hostage situation,” she said.
Sarah left behind three children.
Spokesman for Limpopo police, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, said Joel fired at the police and he was fatally shot in the exchange.
