By Everson Luhanga
The family were watching TV in the lounge of their home in Ivory Park near Midrand on Sunday evening when a well-known loan shark, or mashonisa, allegedly crashed in, shot them dead and sped away.
Tshepang Mongezo Malema, 16, his uncle Siyabonga Mthembu, 38, and aunt Vinoria Laga, 28, all died within minutes.
The suspect, feared by many in the area, got into the home through an unlocked gate.
Tshepang’s father Zama Mthethwa had just left the lounge when he heard screams and gunshots. He escaped through the back door and found a red car parked outside.
“The man fired shots before jumping into the car and speeding off,” he told Scrolla.Africa.
Several witnesses also saw the suspect leaving the yard and driving away in a vehicle with an unknown registration number.
Two days later, Mthethwa said, the suspect came back, demanding the family’s car keys and R20,000. But the survivors stood firm and he was forced to leave empty handed.
Sunday night wasn’t the first time the mashonisa had invaded the family home. Last year, the same suspect came to the house, allegedly pointed a gun at the family and stole their TV and other valuables.
Mthethwa said they reported the theft to the Ivory Park police but never heard back from the investigating officer.
He also claimed that the mashonisa had previously killed a police officer from the Rabie Ridge police station while the cop was on patrol.
“The man is dangerous, and it’s unclear why the police can’t trace and arrest him,” he said.
Ekurhuleni district police spokesperson Nelda Sekgobela confirmed the incident.
“Upon arrival, police found two males and one female with gunshot wounds. One male had several gunshot wounds, another had gunshot wounds to the upper body, and the female also had upper body gunshot wounds,” Sekgobela said.
She said that the family owed an undisclosed amount of money to someone.
Mthethwa, however, vehemently denied they owed any money to the man who had invaded their family home and murdered three people.
Pictured above: The three family members killed in their home.
Source: Supplied
