Durban – A traumatised woman who was raped but survived a bloody uMlazi massacre that left four people dead at the weekend, said she and her younger sister were lucky to be alive.
“If the police had not arrived and disturbed the rapist and the killers, we could have died,” she said on Sunday.
The 26-year-old victim, who cannot be identified, was attacked by one of three men, who went on a shooting spree early on Saturday in G-section uMlazi.
The gang members, who the rape victim says were high on drink and drugs, shot dead widowed 69-year-old Sibongile Mzila as well as Mzila’s three children – Mlungisi, 33, Lungisani, 25, and 30-year-old Hlengiwe.
The police had just been at a nearby tavern where the same gang had randomly shot at eight people that night.
Police said on Sunday the injured eight were still recovering at Prince Mshiyeni Hospital in uMlazi.
The tragedy unfolded at about 12.50am when the Mzila family were asleep.
The gang first broke into an outside room and shot Mlungisi, before forcing the others inside to open the door to the main house.
Mzila and Hlengiwe, who were screaming, were then shot dead.
A gang member, wielding a handgun, told the victim, who was also in the house at the time, to take her clothes off and then proceeded to rape her.
Lungisani had apparently asked why the attacker was raping the young woman. He was shot dead.
The woman was raped while the four bodies lay nearby in a pool of blood.
While she was being raped, the other two gang members asked her and her sister for their cellphones and money.
The police then arrived, and banged on the door.
“The rapist pulled up his pants and opened the door. He fired at the police,” the woman said.
“The police returned fire and shot him dead.
“I would have wanted him to go to prison for a long time for the rape and the murders, but I am consoled by the fact that he is dead,” she said.
She was taken to hospital.
“I do not know what would have happened when he had finished raping me because he had already killed the four others in the house. I wanted to run, but there was nowhere to run to.
“The gang was interrupted by the police and they panicked.”
She could not understand why the gang had targeted the Mzila home because it meant they had gone past several other houses from the tavern to get there.
“They were angry and they were swearing at us. They seemed to be under the influence of either alcohol, drugs or both. I have never been so scared in my life.
“They kept saying that they wanted money and that we must give them all the cellphones,” she said.
There were five children in the house during the massacre, but they were not injured.
“We live in fear of criminals. They break into homes with the intention to rob people of money and cellphones all the time.
“This was the worst break-in in the area,” she said.
“This will haunt us for the rest of our lives.”
'Terrorised' residents fight back after family murder
uMlazi family murder horror
Ntandokazi Mncube, who runs the tavern, said the suspects – known to the community – came in and demanded money and cellphones from the customers at gunpoint.
“I ran for cover and luckily they did not find me, otherwise they would have demanded money from me,” she said.
She said her parents had operated the tavern for more than 20 years and that this was the first time such an incident had occurred.
“There has never been a reason to have security guards on the premises. Now, we are considering beefing up security,” she said.
Police said preliminary investigations revealed that the dead man had been arrested in November for possession of an unlicensed firearm in uMlazi.
Ward 79 councillor Sthenjwa Nyawose said on Sunday that the community was aware of a gang of armed men involved in criminal activities and who, under the influence of drugs, had been terrorising the community.
Nyawose said the Community Police Forum (CPF) had been trying to catch the gang as a result of information received a few weeks ago, but the trap they had set had failed when they discovered that the house where the gang was supposed to have been meeting in was the wrong location.
“We were about to close in on the gang when the massacre happened.
“We have information that a certain kingpin has been supplying a group of local young people with drugs and guns. Once hooked on drugs, they would join the gang and get involved in criminal activities to fund their habit,” he said.
A crisis meeting organised by the CPF and members of the G-section community was held on Sunday in an attempt to find solutions to the escalating problem of drugs and illegal guns which Nyawose said had led to the escalation of crime in the area.
“We are convinced that there are people behind the scenes who are benefiting through the sale of drugs and illegal firearms at the expense of the innocent lives in our community.
“The community remains shattered by the incident.
“They are also angry and won’t feel safe until this gang is arrested together with the drug dealers who are putting the lives of their children at risk.”
Captain Nqobile Gwala, police spokesperson, said no arrests had been made.