Jozini man gunned down – family criticises police

The family of a mentally disabled man who was recently shot and killed by police in Jozini, has criticised the police’s handling of the situation.

The deceased, Sizwe Mabuza, allegedly went inside a hardware shop and came out with two bush knives.

The 37-year-old suddenly went on the rampage, attacking and injuring two people seated inside their vehicles and causing damage to four more vehicles.

His brother, Nduku, said they received information that their brother was behaving strangely in town.

‘We rushed there and found him standing in the middle of the road with two bush knives. We engaged with him from a distance and he moved out of the road.

‘When we moved closer, he instructed us to stop and pointed out two of our family members who could approach him,’ said Nduku.

‘We told them to grab and disarm him when they get close enough to him. The two brothers managed to calm him down and sat down with him, waiting for the opportunity to grab and disarm him.

‘The arrival of the police changed everything.’

According to Nduku, the police simply pointed their firearms at his brother without saying a word.

‘He became more aggressive and wanted to fight back. Everybody ran in different directions as it was obvious the police intended to shoot.

‘They shot him five times and we rushed him to the clinic, where he later died.

‘My brother arrived here from Pretoria with his wife to vote in the local government elections.

‘His wife returned home on the same day, with Sizwe supposed to leave the next day.

‘On his way to board a taxi, something happened. We were told the driver forced him out of the taxi as he was displaying strange and erratic behaviour. He left all his belongings in the taxi and walked to town,’ Mabuza said.

Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesperson, Grace Langa, said the incident is being investigated.