Dylan Bettencourt
The traditional, though highly illegal firing of guns at the funerals of fallen MK cadres, almost led to a serious tragedy at the funeral of Kebby Maphatsoe on Sunday.
Gunshots were fired into the air at the funeral of the former president of the disbanded uMkhonto we Sizwe, Kebby Maphatsoe, at the Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg.
Sitting in her garden, 76-year-old Margaret Holloway was hit in the leg by a stray bullet.
Lee Holloway, Margaret’s son, told TimesLive that poor treatment and management at the Helen Joseph hospital added to the family’s pain in dealing with the incident.
“She is still sitting in her wheelchair with the bullet in her leg. We are now told they will not remove the bullet and she will be discharged,” he told TimesLive.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo said the police unit are now investigating a case of attempted murder.
Reports suggest the bullet was fired from an AK-47, but Naidoo said the firearm used can only be identified after the investigation. The old age home is at least 200m from the cemetery and the bullet may have travelled as far as 600m before hitting the woman.
Residents at the old age home said they fear sitting outside and have remained inside their homes since Sunday evening.
Resident Jenny Heuvel said: “People are nervous because they don’t know when this can happen again. They can’t sit outside. They are always locked in their rooms.”
DA Member of Parliament James Lorimer claimed there were senior police officers present at the funeral with no indication as to whether they intervened in the shooting.
“The sheer irresponsibility of firing multiple live rounds into the air in densely settled areas is difficult to believe. The fact that it was at the funeral of a one-time senior member of the ANC government speaks volumes about the type of organisation they have become,” Lorimer said in a statement.
Image source: @WIRED
