One man is dead, and another was set to appear in the Emalahleni Magistrate’s Court today, after chaos erupted in Clewer near Witbank in Mpumalanga on Saturday.
Two notable events coincided – the shooting after a funeral, and a post-funeral gathering, known as ‘after tears’, that got out of hand.
The two men involved in the shooting, the alleged perpetrator, and his 24-year-old friend are said to have been returning from the funeral.
Shortly thereafter, police were forced to intervene in contraventions of the Disaster Management Act that enforces mask-wearing and prohibits large gatherings.
Videos circulating on social media captured the chaos.
One man tried to manhandle a police officer who turns and hits him:
Yoh 😳 pic.twitter.com/wfM15wpNC8
— K U L A N I (@kulanicool) February 21, 2021
In another video, a group of people can be seen running from the police. Gunshots can be heard, which The Citizen attributes to warning shots from the police:
— cliffkhaya van kaak💧 (@Cliffkhaya10111) February 21, 2021
According to Brigadier Leonard Hlathi, the shooting that lead to the death of the 24-year-old man happened as a result of an argument.
“Immediately after the incident, the suspect is said to have transported the victim in his vehicle and then handed him over to the paramedics who were in the vicinity of a shopping complex in the area, then vanished,” Hlathi said.
The suspect then handed himself over to the police and submitted his firearm into evidence.
As for the rest of the community gathered after the funeral, Hlathi says that some were seen spinning cars and not wearing masks, with no social distancing.
“A police officer who tried to engage with the community regarding their actions, was manhandled and vulgar words used against him for carrying out his duties. As if that was not bad enough, some police vehicles were pelted with beer bottles at the same event,” said Hlathi.
He says that the “degree of lawlessness” is “worrying”.
[source:citizen]
