‘We saw our friend die’ – Soweto mass shooting survivors relive their ordeal

Two survivors of the mass shooting in Soweto said they needed counselling after watching their friend die at a tavern over the weekend.

The eyes of Alex and John (not their real names, for fear of reprisals) brimmed with tears as they stared into the distance when asked about the shooting in Nomzamo Park in Orlando East.

“We were playing pool. Then the next moment they came in and just started shooting,” said Alex, who hid under the pool table. “I was so scared, so I prayed to stay alive. I kept hiding and trying to figure out what was going on.”

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The two said it was impossible to flee the tavern because bullets were flying and bodies dropped to the floor.

“It felt like it went on for an hour. I only came out of hiding when I heard the community members outside,” Alex said. The duo also tried to escape through the back, but the garage door was locked.

“We also could not run through the front door because that was where the bullets were coming from,” said John, who hid under a chair by the TV. The survivors said they didn’t want more police officers, they wanted justice for their friend.

“We want them caught and behind bars,” John said. “I am hurting. My friend is gone. I am sad because we don’t know why it happened,” Alex said.

John said he played and won a game of pool against the friend, who was shot dead moments later. “He still said to me tata-machance because he is the champion and the next moment, he was lying on the floor,” John said.

Alex said the friend was one of the first who was shot. “They didn’t talk, they just started shooting,” he said.

A neighbour of two victims who were brothers described them as humble young men from the Eastern Cape. “I heard the shooting but was too scared to go out. It sounded like more than 50 shots,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

She said they feared for their lives and had to cook on gas stoves after President Cyril Ramaphosa visited them last October and promised them electricity.

“Nothing until today. The police don’t come here. They run away because they say it is too dark here. Maybe the Amaberete (the police’s tactical response team) can do it better,” she said. Residents said all community members visited the tavern to charge their cellphones and watch TV because there was no electricity in the area.

“Even children go there to watch the wrestling,” said one resident.

Police Minister Bheki Cele, who visited Nomzamo yesterday, announced the immediate deployment of the Amaberete in Soweto. Cele told the community 135 empty AK-47 cartridges were picked up on the scene, along with cartridges from pistols. He said it was believed five men travelling in a single vehicle were responsible for the shooting, which claimed 15 lives.

Caroline Gumbi, who lives close to the tavern, said it was unsafe there. “It is good they must bring more police. We are scared,” she said. Gumbi said she felt vulnerable because she lived in a shack with no electricity. “I would feel safer if I had a proper house and electricity,” she said.

Carlos Mashaba said he was happy to hear about the deployment of Amaberete to Soweto. “It’s a relief to hear because this place is unsafe.”

Mashaba said he went back to sleep after he woke up to what sounded like gunshots. “When I woke up again, I realised it wasn’t a dream and I phoned my friends to hear if they were safe.”

Mashaba said he was shocked by the incident because he and his friends also visited the tavern regularly to charge their phones.

– marizkac@citizen.co.za