Pretoria – A 23-year-old woman who was at the tavern in Olievenhoutbosch where robbers went on the rampage at the weekend leaving five dead said it all happened so fast.
She had been at the tavern but left to fetch her phone at home.
“I had left my phone with a friend. As I went out the door of the tavern I saw three men, but did not pay attention to them. When I got to my house I heard gunshots. I turned off my TV and lay on the floor.
“I could hear the men’s voices ordering the people to hand over their belongings. They shouted, ‘khiphani ama phone’ (take out those phones),” she said.
At that time, the owner and security guards were hiding in refrigerators behind the counter.
The twin brother of one of the victims of the robbery, Erik Makhubela, went back on Monday to the tavern still in disbelief.
He said his brother Charles had called on Friday, asking that he meet him outside the tavern. He said his brother asked for money. He had suggested they go to KFC, but his brother hugged him – which was highly unusual – before going back into the tavern.
Eric Makhubela standing in front of the tavern where his twin brother was killed during a robbery. Picture: Bongani Shilubane/Pretoria News
He said he drove off and heard multiple gunshots. Makhubela added when he got to KFC he felt something was wrong and returned to find a commotion at the tavern.
“People were screaming my brother’s name. I rushed into the tavern and found my brother, face down on the floor with gunshot wounds to his upper body,” he said.
His brother was still alive, and he carried him and another wounded man to his car, and headed for the police station. By the time he got there, his brother was dead.
He said members of the community told him they knew one of the attackers who, Makhubela believes, killed his brother because he recognised them.
“If Charles did not recognise him, he would still be alive,” said Erik.
The gang stormed two taverns in the area on Friday night, shooting at revellers and robbing them of their possessions. After the first hit, the gang went to Extension 20 and attacked patrons of Elisa’s Tavern, leaving another man dead and others injured.
Elton Mangwani, brother of the second victim who died, said family members had arrived from Venda in Limpopo after hearing the news.
The police had arrested two suspects linked to the killings by on Monday, on charges of murder and attempted murder.