A friendly soccer match at the Phase 2 Barberton sports grounds turned deadly on Sunday April 4.
According to reports, a dispute broke out between the two teams after the match. In the commotion, a player from each team was shot.
The victims, Given Bongani Mamkela (19) and Muzi Nkosi (31), were then separately transported to Barberton Hospital in private cars, a BMW and a Toyota Venture.
“Barberton Hospital admitted the two gunshot patients, whereafter a group of people from the community came to the hospital for revenge,” read a statement by the provincial Department of Health.
After the injured parties had entered the hospital, the gate was locked. The community members, who had followed from the soccer match, jumped the fence in order to gain access to the casualty ward.
The doors had already been locked, with police officers inside. The angered community members then returned to the parking lot.
Veli Mkhoza, who had driven one of the injured players to the hospital in his BMW, was waiting in the parking lot. One of the occupants of the Venture shot Mkhoza in the head. The victim’s car was set alight with his body still inside and the assailants fled the scene.
He was certified dead by the paramedics on the scene. The remnants of the vehicle are still in front of Barberton Hospital and six spent cartridges were found at the scene.
The hospital confirmed that no staff had been injured during the incident.
Mamkela and Nkosi are both still alive, and according to Hi-Tech Security, the situation has calmed down, though the police continue to patrol the hospital.
Sasekani Manzini, the provincial MEC for health, has condemned the incident. “It is very sad that our people resolve to taking the law into their own hands,” she said. “It is also not acceptable that our people now force their entry into our health facilities and seek revenge.”
Manzini went on to say that the incident had affected both staff and patients.
The police believe it was also one of the occupants of the Toyota Venture who had set the BMW alight.
A case of murder has been opened. Three additional charges have been laid, including malicious damage to property and two cases of attempted murder. Det Capt Jabulane Mashiane has been appointed to investigate the case. No arrests have been made.
This article originally appeared in the Lowvelder.
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