Lungi Langa
Themba Zuma watched in horror from under a table as 12 of his friends were shot at a tavern in Sweetwaters, Pietermaritzburg on Saturday night.
The 51-year-old gardener narrowly escaped death. He was in such a state of shock that he went home and spent the next hours lying in bed, frozen with fear and unable to talk to anyone.
Zuma had just finished work and went, as he usually did at the weekend, to meet his friends for a few beers at the Samkelisiwe Restaurant, a tavern he affectionately calls “eMjondolo”.
“I came here after five and a relative of mine came to join me. This incident happened rather late, around 8.30 pm,” he told Scrolla.Africa.
“I was standing outside as the place is usually quite packed. There were many cars and people. There was no electricity so we were outside.
“When the lights went back on, that’s when the whole thing happened.”
A flash of brightness was followed by a loud banging noise that sounded like gunshots.
“The person just came in and fired. It’s not that he was aiming at one particular person.
“I went under the table and left my beer. Even after the shooting stopped, I still left my beer there and went home,” said Zuma.
In a state of shock from the horror he had just witnessed, he said he lost the ability to speak.
“I couldn’t tell anyone what had happened. I went inside my room and didn’t sleep a wink.”
When Zuma’s partner found out about the shooting, she gave him a stern warning that he was not to visit any more taverns. If he wanted to drink, he would have to drink at home.
He said that he’ll miss having a few drinks with his friends at the tavern, but he fears that there may be more shootings in the future. The couple resolved that he’ll only go during the day.
