Shooting victim embraces the second chance he’s been given
A survivor of the Mdlalose Tavern massacre gives a chilling account of the night that changed his life, and his reasons for remaining positive. By
Though almost dying and losing both legs and four fingers on his left hand, Inga “Sir Vva” Mkoko has shown remarkable resilience as he embraces a difficult life. Mkoko, a survivor of the Mdlalose Tavern massacre in Nomzamo Park, Soweto, almost two years ago, spoke to Daily Maverick about his transformative journey from great tragedy to small triumphs every day.
Before the life-altering events of 10 July 2022, when 16 people were killed by gunmen opening fire on patrons shortly after midnight, Mkoko was a street vendor operating at the Mayibuye filling station in Pimville, Soweto. Each day began at 5am as he diligently set up his trading spot from where he sold items such as cigarettes, sweets and energy drinks.
His life as a street vendor started after he moved from Cape Town to Johannesburg in search of better economic opportunities. Finding only sporadic work such as lawn mowing, Mkoko decided to invest his earnings in a vending business and bought stock.
On 9 July 2022, Mkoko returned from work and took a nap until about 9pm. He said the lively atmosphere of the Mdlalose Tavern prompted him to go there, but he also needed to charge his phone because he did not have electricity in his shack. At some point in the evening, he joined a game of 8-ball pool with fellow patrons.
Things turn deadly
“When I was left with the black ball, there were suddenly gunshots outside and it seemed whoever was shooting was moving towards the tavern, as I saw some bullets flying from across the pool table. I saw one man coming in carrying a huge gun.
“I started running away and tried to exit through the gate, but I realised it had been
locked. So I decided to lie down on my back as a way of showing surrender and that I was not armed or retaliating. In my head, I thought it was a robbery,” Mkoko said.
“The man with the gun stood at the entrance of the tavern while everyone lay on the ground. He was just shooting at everyone on the ground, but it seemed he had accomplices as the gunshots sounded very different. It seemed I was the only one who had lain on the ground facing up. Everyone else was lying on their stomachs and I could see him while he moved around shooting people as he came towards me.
“He shot an old man who had been drunk and sleeping. Reality sank in for me when he shot my friend and neighbour Menzi, who lay in front of me,” Mkoko said.
“I was certain I was about to die, so I said a small prayer. When he was meant to fire shots at me, it seemed he had run out of bullets, so he had to reload the gun. I was facing him directly as he shot at me a few times, mostly hitting my legs.
“Then he waited for what felt like some minutes before directing the gun at me again. I used my hands to cover my face so I
wouldn’t see him again as
he shot me. After he shot at my hands a few times, I pretended that I was dead and so he moved over towards the exit to other people and then left the scene.
”I was left in pain – it seemed as if I had been shot all over. We stayed there with no help coming.”
After an hour, Mkoko said, residents came to try to provide help as news about the incident had reached them. They checked the pulse of everyone lying on the ground to ensure that those who were alive could get transport to hospital. A minibus taxi soon arrived, but the driver wanted to be paid R600 per injured person immediately to take the victims to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
Only three people made it to the minibus. A fourth person died while they were being helped inside and his body was left on the scene for the police to deal with.
A person with a bakkie then arrived and took Mkoko and the rest of the injured to hospital. En route, two more people in the back of the bakkie died. Ultimately, 16 people were left dead.
On his seventh day in hospital, doctors removed all the bullets in Mkoko’s body. He had been shot 13 times. He spent three weeks in a coma on life support in intensive care as he couldn’t breathe on his own.
When he finally woke up, the doctors had already suggested switching off the life support, but his mother refused to sign the consent form. He had gangrene in both legs and four fingers, which later resulted in their being amputated. In total, he spent about six months in hospital and is now reliant on a wheelchair.
Disability, not inability
Reflecting on the entire experience, Mkoko said: “I have grown so much from the incident that, instead of crying about it and treating it as a tragedy that took my legs and my fingers and almost my life, this was a chance for me to change my life.
“I learnt that the most important thing in life is to stay positive and be grateful that I am alive – now, today. Losing body parts is nothing compared to losing your life.”
After leaving the hospital and healing to the extent that he would, Mkoko continued his life as a vendor. But it wasn’t the same as before because he had to rely on people to help him get around as he did not have family in Johannesburg.
In April 2023, he moved back to Cape Town to be closer to his mother, and is now a backyard vegetable gardener. He rotates his crops and makes it a priority to eat healthy, organic food that he grows himself, which lessens the cost.
“Gardening is my therapy,” Mkoko says. He added that he refused counselling because he did it himself. “I believe in myself. God gave me the most powerful weapon in the world – the mind can do wonders,” he said.
In the beginning, Mkoko said, he did not feel safe anywhere. However, slowly but surely, he is adjusting well in Cape Town.
With July approaching, it is a stark reminder that two years have passed since the horrific shooting, yet the survivors and the families of the dead have not seen any justice. Charges including murder, attempted murder, robbery and illegal possession of firearms against all six accused were dropped last year.