'I was terrified and praying': Survivor recounts how he hid from shebeen shooters

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Cape Town – The survivor of a bloody shooting at a Khayelitsha shebeen which claimed four lives has detailed how he hid in the toilet, fearing for his life, while six gunmen hunted their victims. The assailants stormed Mafu’s shebeen in Site B on Wednesday at about 9pm, firing about 17 shots. They killed four patrons, including an innocent bystander believed to be a SANDF member who ran for cover. Speaking on condition of anonymity as he feared for his life, the patron said he ran into the ladies’ toilet, sat on a toilet seat and held the door closed with his feet. He saw his life flash before his eyes, he said. “He (the suspect) was convinced that there was no one in the cubicle and that the doors were locked. I was sweating, terrified and praying that the person wouldn’t shoot through the door.

“Luckily for me, he left, but the two others in the next cubicle were not so lucky. Apparently, just as the suspects were leaving, one of them saw a window slightly open and managed to fully open it, firing shots and killing the two.

"I don’t ever see myself going back to that shebeen,” he said.

The night started off jovially, he said, as the patrons were listening to music and having drinks.

“The first shots were fired through the window. There were a few people inside. I managed to duck and dive.

“I got inside the ladies toilet, which was closest to me, while others ran to the next toilet.

“It went quiet for a few minutes. I think at that time the gunmen were inside, checking if they got the people they wanted.”

Mafu’s owner, Mneno Mafu, had arrived from the Eastern Cape hours before the shooting.

He said he was resting in the sitting room when he heard gunshots.

“I ran in shock to see where my wife was, because the last time I saw her, she was selling alcohol behind the counter.

“I found her lying on the floor. She crawled to me and we ran to our bedroom until we heard it was quiet.”

Mafu said he waited to return to behind the counter to check whether the gunmen were gone.

He saw one man standing with his back to him and he then quickly ducked until he heard him leaving.

“When I was sure they had left, I opened the door at the counter and saw one man lying dead in a pool of blood. I checked the toilets and asked people to come out.

“A local customer came out from the ladies’ while I struggled to open the men’s toilet. When we checked through the window from outside, two bodies riddled with bullets were next to each other at the door.

“We had to remove the door in order for the bodies to be carried out.”

The gunmen had apparently fled the scene in a Toyota Quantum, which they parked down the road from the shebeen.

Mafu said this was the first shooting at the establishment and his family was left traumatised.

“The SANDF member was on holiday and about to return to work. We know him and it is sad that he had to die like that. The other three are from Site C and we heard they were the targets. This place will remain closed until further notice,” he said.

SANDF spokesperson Mafi Mgobhozi had not responded by deadline.

Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said the circumstances leading to the killing of the four men, aged between 24 and 34, were under investigation.

Anyone with information can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or SMS Crime Line on 32211.

Cape Times