OUTRAGE OVER LAMGABHI SHOOTING VIDEO

MANZINI – The circulating video suspected to have been taken during the shooting that took place at LaMgabhi on September 7, 2020 has caused public outrage.

The public is irate and this was evident in a variety of social media platforms wherein they commented about the footage. 

The video started circulating on social media platforms on Wednesday evening and piqued the interest of members of the public, who have expressed their views on what they believed transpired on the day of the shooting.

On the aforementioned date, a former minister, Ntuthuko Dlamini, was arrested for allegedly shooting two people dead in a land dispute. 

This garnered public interest given the prominence of Dlamini.

Shooting 

The video footage suspected to have been taken moments leading to the shooting, shows a man purported to be the former minister, who was captured engaged in an argument with a group of men seated in improvised benches made from logs. 

Worth noting is that some social media users have expressed their wish to know the individual who captured the incident and how he came to the decision to eventually release the footage to the public.

The men, who could have exceeded 15 people, are seen casually seated on the makeshift benches and eating from polysterine packs popularly known as takeaway. 

While they were feasting, one of the men was seemingly engaged in an argument with the man suspected to be the erstwhile minister.

The man alleged to be the former minister was clad in a blue coverall jacket, overlapping beneath it was a black golf shirt with white stripes. He was also wearing a pair of khaki Chinos.

In the initial stages of the footage, one of the men engaged in the argument was calling for the withdrawal of them (group of men) being called timfucuta. This noun was viewed as derogatory by the man who was protesting the inference made. 

He said: “Just because you have money and businesses don’t call us nobodies (timfucuta).”

As the commotion escalated, some of the men were paying little attention to what was happening and digging into their meals.

The cameraman at some instance seemed to have been moving away from where the men were while others were captured expressing shock. 

This was when shots were fired. 

It is not definite how many shots were fired; however, in the 61 seconds of the footage, three thuds, presumably echoes of the gunshots, were captured.

Meanwhile, while all that was happening, a voice was heard in the background ordering all people to sit down and not move.

Following the circulation of the footage of the purported shooting incident, members of the public expressed rage at local authorities in the manner the argument quickly escalated into a shooting. 

Some felt that the manner in which the shooter reacted during the argument was uncalled for and premeditated, as the gun was easily drawn and fired.

Others shifted blame on the people who were part of the meeting, saying they looked like they were continuing with their business despite the gunshots.

Shop assistant Brian Da Silva expressed shock at the manner in which a simple argument escalated into a shooting. 

He said the purported shooter should face justice as this was gruesome.

 “There is no one in their right mind who would react so quickly to pull out his gun, and shoot, not once. The shooter should also be taken for mental evaluation because he wasn’t in the right state of mind to commit such a cruel and heartless offence,” Da Silva said.

On the other hand, taximan Sifiso Fakudze said when he watched the video; the shooter was seemingly eager to fire his gun. Fakudze supposed that the firearm could have been new and the shooter was eager to use it.

According to Fakudze, the shooter intended to make a point by firing the first shot, which he said showed that he meant business.

“That shooter knew what he had come there to do. How can you shoot at a group of people seated and  eating?” he questioned.

Philile Dlamini expressed her disgust at the shooter’s actions, stating that he (shooter) needed to be prayed for as only God could forgive him. 

Conclude 

However, that she urged the local authorities to conclude the matter so that the families of the men allegedly shot in the video could find closure.

“As much as we can comment on this issue, it is important to remember that there are families that will never have their fathers, husbands and their brothers back,” she said.

However, Samson Mabuza said the shooter deserved a fair trial, as he could have acted based on his emotions on the day of the shooting. 

He added that the shooter deserved to be forgiven for his sins; however, he would have to approach the families to beg for their forgiveness.

“I believe that if some people were in the same situation, they would have reacted in the same manner. However, it is obvious that the shooter was proving a point as it appeared as though he fired the first shot,” Mabuza expressed.

It is worth noting that the erstwhile minister is yet to make his plea in court. 

Meanwhile, Dlamini’s lawyer, Noncedo Ndlangamandla, said she had seen the video but was yet to discuss it with her client.

“For now there is nothing much I can say save to state that I am still to have a discussion with my client,” she said.

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