16-year-old sees father mowed down
WHEN Thomas Nkosi drove to the nearby Engen garage on Saturday so he could act as a “tooth fairy” to his daughter, he did not realise that it was to be one of his last moments alive.
Nkosi, 46, a Nedbank consultant from Mondeor, south of Joburg, drove to the fuel station 2km away at about 1am.
He wanted change because his eightyear-old’s tooth had fallen out the evening before and he wanted to make the tooth fairy tale come true.
“He was in a very jolly mood,” his wife Thandi said, “and he kept repeating this particular song on the MP3 and was making me listen to it.”
Nkosi’s 16-year-old daughter went with him because she wanted ice cream.
Coming back, Nkosi had just managed to park his car in his garage when three men “ran out of nowhere” and started shooting at the driver’s seat.
The criminals then flung the father’s body out of the car before attempting to climb in.
It wasn’t until the teenager – who had gone unnoticed until then – cried out “They shot Daddy!”, that the men panicked and fled.
She ran out of the car, into the house and locked the door. “I still do not know where she got the energy and courage,” the girl’s mother said.
A detective from the Mondeor police station, who refused to give his name, confirmed that a case of murder was being investigated in connection with the attempted hijacking.
“I still feel like I am in a bad dream and I’ll wake up to find my husband alive,” Thandi said in a low tone.
No arrests had been made. ANNA Tshabalala still remembers when she used to pay R2 to see Orlando Pirates play at Orlando Stadium.
Yesterday, she was one of the many people who braved the intense heat to welcome back the CAF Championship League runners-up at OR Tambo International Airport.
“When they lost last weekend, I fainted,” said the 58-yearold. “I haven’t been eating well since the loss, but I’ll always follow them… even to Durban.”
Tshabalala, who lives in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, was at the airport with her 15-year-old grandson Kgotso, who is also a Pirates supporter.
“All five of my children are Buccaneers. Kgotso came all the way from Mpumalanga to see his favourite team,” she said.
Though the weather was almost 30ºC, supporters were dressed in long Pirates robes and eccentric “makarapa” hats. One woman was dressed up in Christmas decorations.
When the team finally arrived, they were welcomed with shouts and songs.
The barriers separating fans from players nearly broke as supporters scrambled to get handshakes from their heroes.
The players wore their silver medals proudly as they walked down the red carpet greeting fans.
“We’re not happy, but we’re proud of the players,” said Lebogang Maile, Gauteng MEC for sports, recreation, arts and culture. “What they learnt in Egypt, they must use here at home because Bafana