Three gunned down in ‘mining turf war’

IN JUST one night, Johannes Baloyi lost three family members – his wife, their daughter and their 19-month-old granddaughter – all gunned down in what is believed to have been an illegal mining turf war.

His wife, Portia, their daughter, Khanyisile Seele, and 19-month-old Bogabane were visiting a tavern in Chief Albert Luthuli informal settlement in Kempton Park on Saturday night when a minibus taxi arrived outside.

A group of about 15 armed men got out and opened fire on the small shack, the hail of bullets hitting those outside.

Baloyi’s family members were killed instantly.

Because of the narrow street and tightly packed homes neighbouring the small informal tavern, stray bullets also penetrated other tin walls.

Firing rifles and pistols, the gunmen then ran into the tavern, killing three more people – all men – and critically wounding others.

Hospital

Four people were admitted to hospital.

Yesterday Baloyi was trying to work out how he would afford a tri-generational funeral and who would help look after Seele’s remaining son, Simon.

The small child was spotted standing outside the now porous shack where his mother, grandmother and sister were killed, too young to understand what the bloodstains nearby meant as he smiled broadly at passers-by.

About 15m away stood the shack of Gertrude Mofokeng, whose 15year-old brother, Thabang, had been visiting her on the night of the shooting.

Mofokeng said that as Thabang left her shack to return to their mother’s home, he saw a large group of men outside the tavern, fighting among themselves and firing at the shack. Moments later, a stray bullet pierced his left leg and went through it.

While many of the people neighbouring the tavern were unwilling to talk about the motive for the shooting spree, others said it was rival mining gangs trying to expand their territory.

Police, too, suspected an illegal mining turf war.