The PPP Security officer accused of murder and attempted murder following the August 2022 shootings at the Middelburg municipal civic centre during one of the town’s worst unprotected and often violent municipal strikes over grading and higher wages began his defence in the High Court sitting in Middelburg.

Middelburg Observer reports Nqubeko Bright Mchunu yesterday testified that he fired only five rounds at ‘aggressive’ municipal employees after they broke down the municipality’s main gate to gain entry.

He said an earlier shooting incident preceded the evening’s deadly events.

According to him, police were called to the municipality after a shooting at around 10:00 that morning.

Mchunu testified that he was stationed at the clinic next to the civic centre when the shooting occurred. He then went to the back entrance, where colleagues told him striking employees gathered at the park behind the municipality had fired a shot.

Police dispersed the municipal employees, who later regathered at the park, resulting in a fatal shooting between employees and PPP Security staff between 15:00 and 16:00.

Mchunu said trouble started around 15:00 when acting municipal manager Thokozile Zulu wanted to leave the premises. Striking employees blocked her vehicle at the back exit, placing stones and bottles in front of the gate and parking a vehicle to prevent her from leaving.

Zulu was escorted to the front entrance, where she safely left.

A PPP Security Quantum then forced its way past the vehicle blocking the back entrance to pick up security staff at the front entrance and avoid a clash. However, the white Ford Ranger blocking the entrance followed the Quantum, which entered the premises before guards locked the gate to keep striking employees out.

Mchunu testified that the occupants of the Ford Ranger immediately exited and violently broke down the locked gate. Guards were then confronted by two men, identified by Mchunu as ‘Sonke’ and the deceased, Tshepo Maseko.

More employees entered the premises, and Mchunu said he was confronted by three men two to three paces away, demanding he hand over his weapon before he fired the first volley of shots. One of the men confronting him wore a mask and blue gloves.

After firing, Mchunu ran towards his colleagues but was blocked by two striking employees, resulting in more shots. He maintains he acted in self-defence because his life and those of his colleagues were in danger.

The last shots fired by Mchunu struck Maseko, who died at the scene.

Mchunu denied state witness testimony that employees only wanted to ask why PPP Security guards had shot at them earlier, implying the gunshots heard at 10:00 had not been fired by security staff.

He argued that the violent breach of the front gate proved the strikers at least attempted to disarm them and enter the building to intimidate working employees.

Throughout his testimony, Mchunu maintained that he only fired five rounds in self-defence.

His rifle was handed to his supervisor with five rounds remaining in the magazine after he had been issued the firearm with 10 rounds at the start of his shift.

He was arrested the next day when he reported for duty at the municipality.

The courtroom was packed with municipal employees yesterday. The trial continues after the state rested its case on Wednesday.

Mchunu cut a lone figure in court throughout the trial, surrounded by municipal employees.

Zulu later resigned after employees blamed her for the events.

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