In yet another tragedy in Soshanguve, two young sisters have been burnt to death by an assailant who was reportedly targeting their father. Two others were shot dead by the assailants when they opened fire at a location shebeen.
The young girls, Mpfumo and Tinyiko Mashaba, aged 4 and 7, were murdered on Sunday.
The death of the young girls follows quickly after 5-year-old Ditebogo Junior Phalane was killed during a hijacking, adding to the heartbreak in the Soshanguve community.
The armed suspect also fired gunshots at a shebeen, murdering two and wounding four in Changing Spot Informal Settlement, Soshanguve.
“Two of the victims, a male and a female, died on the scene, and the other four were taken to the nearest medical care centre.
“The suspects proceeded to a shack in the same area where they allegedly set alight the shack where two young girls were sleeping. They were both certified dead on the scene,” said Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo.
"A team of seasoned detectives are working hard to trace and arrest the suspects who allegedly shot six people and burned a shack where two girls, aged four and seven years, were sleeping in Soshanguve on Sunday, 02 June 2024, at approximately 19:30."
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said the alleged shooter also injured four people at a nearby tavern that same night.
The grieving parents, Itumelengi Mashaba and Louis Manganye, deeply shaken by the loss of their children, are pleading for justice.
In an interview with the Kasi Lifestyle Makers podcast, the girls' mother recounted the gunman's chilling words saying, "The kids will die for their father's sins."
Manganye, the father of the children, expressed his anguish, saying: "My kids don't deserve to die like this."
Both parents said they knew the person behind the murder.
The community and law enforcement authorities are now united in their determination to bring the perpetrator to justice.
These heartbreaking events have brought sadness, especially during Child Protection Week.
Lamola said “it is unacceptable that such terrible incidents happen during Child Protection Week."
In addition to condemning the tragic events in Soshanguve, Lamola also spoke out against the killing of family members in Glenmore, KwaZulu-Natal, reportedly over their support for Palestine.
He emphasised that such violence undermines South Africa's rights to freedom of association, expression, and political choice, calling for swift justice and a thorough investigation into the matter.
The Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni has appointed the team of seasoned detectives, led by the Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner responsible for crime detection Major General Mbuso Khumalo.
The team is working around the clock to trace and arrest the suspects. There are leads that the team is following."
IOL