An East London soccer coach allegedly shot and killed his wife and two teenage children yesterday before turning the gun on himself.
The shooting, which took place at around 7am, occurred in an area known as Toilet City in Duncan Village’s C-section.
The man, identified as Fezile Mjacu, is believed to be in his 30s.
He survived the incident and is in a critical condition in an East London hospital.
He is the coach of popular Duncan Village soccer club Birmingham City.
East London police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Mtati Tana said the motive for the shooting was still unclear. “We can’t speculate about the motive but we can confirm a woman and her two children were shot and killed. A man, who is suspected to have committed the crime, survived. The murder weapon was found at the scene,” said Tana.
The shooting took place while the teenagers, Asipeli, 13, and her brother, Awonke, 14, were preparing to go to school.
Their mother has been identified as Sungulwa Mjacu, 30.
Her sister, Ayanda Four, said they had been found in a pool of blood. “We are still confused. On Monday night we could not get hold of them on their cellphones and this morning we found them dead.”
Shocked Duncan Village residents gathered in pouring rain to watch as police officers and mortuary officials worked the crime scene.
The shack in which the shooting took place was located in the backyard of an RDP house and the area was cordoned off to the public.
Police said Mjacu had earlier been rushed to hospital. However, they declined to say which one.
Local residents and neighbours said Mjacu was a popular, likeable figure in the local community who worked with children in his role as a soccer coach and had never shown any violent tendencies publicly.
“He was never a violent person and he loved children, proved by the fact that he was actively involved in a local soccer club as a coach,” said Nonzaliseko Metu.
“He appeared to us an honest, humble man who would not harm even a fly.”
A neighbour, who only identified himself as Mxolisi, said they had never heard the family argue.
“It was just another morning. Gunshots were heard but we are so used to that because of izinyoka. We thought it was another cable . We were shocked to see people screaming and calling for help,” said Mxolisi.
He said most locals had initially been reluctant to leave their shacks as it was raining hard.
“But as people from other areas gathered, we went to check. The children were lying dead, the woman was also dead. The man appeared to be dead until police arrived at the scene to find that he still had a pulse,” he said.
A family friend, who worked with Mjacu at Birmingham City, was too distraught to talk.
The club’s manager also declined to comment on the incident.
Tana said an inquest docket had been opened by police. “The firearm found on the scene will be taken for ballistic tests to see who it belonged to. At this stage, no one has been charged for murder,” said Tana. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za