A family member who is an employee on a family farm was shot dead inside the farm house earlier this week.
The police are investigating a case of murder, but family of the deceased Mr John Shabangu (55) believe there is more behind the attack that took place on Tuesday, October 16 on the farm next to the Verena Road.
The farm out on the Verena Road where a person was shot dead inside the house on Tuesday, October 16.
Last month the owner of the land where Shabangu resided, Mr Jan Masango received a letter stating that he has to vacate the farm in 30 days.
“A meeting was held about the issue and the person who wants the farm told me that ‘one by one you will go until we have the land’,” said Jan.
Masango also said that prior to the attack he noticed different cars travelling on the road past the farm early in the mornings. The driver would then make a u-turn and drive off.
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On Tuesday Masango left for work in eMalahleni. He locked his wife, Ms Monica Masango inside the house.
She was wide awake and was inside her bedroom when she allegedly heard the bedroom door open. Standing in the doorway was three unknown men, their faces were covered and she recalls that they spoke Zulu.
Ms Monica Masango, the owner of the house sat in shock on Tuesday, October 16 as police spoke to her.
Unaware of what was going to happen or why they were inside her house, she started screaming, the three suspects then told her to keep quiet as there were many other people still on the property.
One of the suspects asked for the safe key and she told them they did not own a safe.
That is when the suspects undressed her, placed her on the ground and tied her hands up using a thick rope. They started kicking her and one of the men said they must rape her.
The rope that was used to tie up Ms Monica Masango on Tuesday, October 16, in the distance Masango demonstrates how they tied her hands up.
They also asked her where her husband’s firearms were. She told them that they don’t have a firearm. One of the suspects then said that they know that he did have two firearms.
While ramsacking the bedroom one of the suspects received a phone call from an unknown person asking, “how far are they with the job.”
Mr John Shabangu that was killed in cold blood on Tuesday, October 16.
The suspects then said that they were still busy and the person on the line said that they should continue to assault Masango.
After Masango told them where they money was, they took the money and left the bedroom. She then heard a gun shot and someone screamed inside the house; it was unclear who was inside the house.
After a couple of minutes the house was quiet once again, she got up and started shouting out of her bathroom window for one of the workers to come help her.
Traces of blood were found from the kitchen, down the stairs all the way into the garage where at the bottom of the staircase the lifeless body of Shabangu was found.
The letter that was issued to the family to vacate the farm.
Ms Nelly Nkosi, a cousin of Shabangu said she does not know why her cousin was inside the main house at that time of the morning.
There are two big houses on the family farm which was taken over by Mr Shabangu from his family in 1998. There are nine people living in these houses.
According to Mr Masango he has all the documentation to proof that the farm belongs to him and not to the family who now wants to claim it.
At this stage there is no indication or proof that the persons who wants to claim the land from the Shabangu’s are involved in any crime, but police are following up all leads.
A television, an undisclosed amount of cash and two cell phones were stolen.
Shabangu leaves behind his four children, three sons and one daughter.
