‘I am heartbroken’: Wentworth dad shot dead with baby in arms

When father of two Sifiso Brian Kunene asked some teenagers to stop fighting through the window of his Hime Street apartment, in Wentworth, Durban, on 15 May, he did not know that those would be his last words.

While he was still holding his five-month-old baby girl, the door of Sifiso’s apartment in the area where a gang war has claimed many innocent lives, was kicked open, and a single gunshot rang out. He was shot in his chest and fell to the ground still holding his daughter.

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Wentworth gang violence: Dad gunned down in front of family

His partner, whose identity will be withheld for her safety, said their seven-year-old son bore witness to his father asking the boys to move their fight if they would not stop as there were children inside the flat.

“There are bullet holes inside our home due to stray bullets from previous shootings, and we lived in fear. Sifiso was afraid that if the boys started shooting right outside the door of our home, our children could be hurt or killed. He had asked them to move, but they argued and then opened the door and shot him, even though he had a baby in his arms.

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“I am heartbroken that both my children witnessed their father being killed in such a violent way. Sifiso was a good man and a reliable father and husband. He worked hard in the security industry and also held a job as a DJ to provide for us. Nothing will ever be the same again,” said Sifiso’s bereaved partner.

Living in fear of stray bullets

Wentworth community youth leader Celeste King, who was instrumental in handing a memorandum to Wentworth police in an attempt to get authorities to clamp down on gang violence in the area, assisted Sifiso’s family, who fled from their home after the incident.

“The family is in distress and severely traumatised. They are afraid to go back home. They have reported that stray bullets have landed in their home, damaging surfaces and walls, on many occasions and have asked the relevant departments, as well as the councillor, to assist in moving them to a different flat.

“They wanted to move desperately and lived in fear after a stray bullet missed their seven-year-old son who was inside their flat recently, but their cries fell on deaf ears. Now they will have to face the pain of burying a loved one after this heinous crime,” King said.

Urgent interventions needed in Wentworth – community leader

“It is blatantly obvious that urgent interventions are needed in Wentworth. In the midst of all the unaddressed and unspoken social ills and challenges, the youth are a very vulnerable group of people who fall into the cracks of gang violence. We have lost a generation of people in our community, and we need to act as a matter of urgency to create a change.

“Poverty has riddled our community, and youth are being sucked into gangs by material things that their parents cannot afford. They need to wake up and see how it is affecting them. Young lives are being taken by bullets, and youngsters are taking the lives of innocent people,” King concluded.

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Living in crime-ridden community: Concern for child trauma

Community leader Tracey Williams said her concern was the trauma the children go through by living in a crime-ridden community.

“To see your father being killed is something that would affect children for the rest of their lives. Innocent people are dying in front of their children at the hands of youngsters. Families are being forced to live in fear or flee. Parents have lost power and control of their children. A joint intervention from various authorities and organisations is needed,” Williams added.

A comment from Wentworth police could not be obtained at the time of publishing.

Edited by Cornelia le Roux.
This article originally appeared in Southlands Sun and was republished with permission. Read the original article here.

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