MIDDELBURG - Lawrence Nelumoni, the survivor of an alleged racial attack in which his friend Xolisile Ndzongana was killed, allegedly by a group of white men during a road rage incident in Middelburg in Mpumalanga, said on Tuesday he fears for his life.
“I fear for my life because I’m the victim and main witness in this case,” said Nelumoni. “I spend most of my time on the road as part of my job."
The incident took place on July 8 and Nelumoni, 35, insists it was racially motivated because, according to him, their attackers called them the K-word during the altercation.
“I was the driver of the car we were in and one of the men punched me on the left ear. I fell to the ground but quickly stood up and ran back to our car. And I think that is how I survived, but I sustained an abrasion on one knee and I still feel a lot of pain inside my ear,” said Nelumoni.
The attack was captured on CCTV cameras at a business complex in Middelburg, and it later went viral on social media platforms. Ndzongana died in a local hospital on July 9.
According to Nelumoni, the attack started when he and Ndzongana found an unknown car parked in the middle of the street. He said Ndzongana went to the stationary vehicle to ask its driver to move it out of their way. He said he suddenly saw a group of about five white men assaulting Ndzongana until he fell to the ground, adding that one man punched him [Nelumoni] when he tried to intervene.
Provincial spokeswoman for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Monica Nyuswa, said three men were initially arrested but charges against them were later withdrawn as they could not be linked to the incident.
However, Mpumalanga Community Safety MEC Pat Ngomane said on July 30 that the case against two men had since been reinstated to the court roll.