Gunmen attacking the Ndabazitha household in Richmond in January 1999 accused them of killing United Democratic Movement secretary-general Sifiso Nkabinde, according to evidence heard in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Wednesday.
Betty Ndabazitha and her relative Edith Ndabazitha gave this evidence against five men charged with 21 counts relating to the massacre in which 11 people were killed and seven injured. The accused are Vulindlela Blessing Nkabinde, 29, Mbongeni Mjwara, 25, Bongani Derik Nkabinde, 31, Sipho Edward Mtungwa, 30 and Emmanuel Simanga Mashumi Dlamini, 27. They are all from Magoda, the UDM stronghold in which Nkabinde lived. Vulindlela and Bongani Nkabinde are related to the politician. Betty Ndabazitha said relatives had been attending the funeral of her son when the shooting occurred, the same day that Sifiso Nkabinde was murdered.
Edith Ndabazitha was an assistant to the chairperson of the ANC Richmond branch, Siphiwe Ntinga, who was implicated by state witnesses in the trial against the killers of Sifiso Nkabinde in the Pietermaritzburg High Court last year.
She told the court that she heard something exploding outside.
"In my mind I thought maybe it was crackers, but at the time when people who were sitting on the veranda came in running. It was then that I realised that we were under attack," she said.
While Edith hid under the table, four gunmen came into the house. She said that as they were shooting they accused them of killing Nkabinde. She said one woman who tried to run out through the kitchen was shot by the attackers. A man tried to take out his firearm and shoot to protect himself, but "because he was already injured he was unable to shoot".
"They continued shooting and they were saying 'the dogs must die'. One of the attackers even pointed his foot at the people (who had already been killed) and counted them."
"Lindeni (Myeni) was pleading with an attacker, asking the attacker not to shoot her, saying she was not from the area. I heard an explosion from the firearm. I noticed Lindeni falling down. I did not notice whether she was dead or not," Edith testified.
Betty said that she was sitting in her bedroom with a child when she heard "the sound of a gunshot ringing from outside". She said that she lay on top of the child and "the shooting continued until it was inside the bedroom".
After she heard a firearm make a "clicking sound" one attacker called to another saying "bring a firearm, these dogs are not all dead". She said that a person replied from the dining room "let us stab them".
Betty said that after it became quiet she tried to lift her head to see what the attackers were doing. "I was unable to do so because there was another person lying on top of me. The person on top of me was dead," she said. She was not injured in the attack.
The case is continuing. - Sapa
Source: IoL
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