Wife plays dead as killers shoot taxi boss – Daughter watches as dad is shot 29 times

The wife of a Johannesburg taxi boss who was killed in a hail of bullets had to fake her own death to save herself.

Johnson Mdaka, 63, chairman of the Kempton Park Taxi Association (Keta), was shot 29 times in his home’s driveway in Midrand on Tuesday in front of his wife and daughter.

Mdaka’s wife Kelebone, 55, who was also shot during the attack while seated in the back seat of her husband’s car, said she pretended to be dead.

“I didn’t see anything. I heard a cracking sound and I felt heat in my back and something coming out of my armpit and then I bent down. I pretended like I was dead. They fired bullets until the gun was empty. His upper body was riddled with bullets. You could just see the holes,” she said yesterday.

The bullet that hit Kelebone’s back exited through her armpit. She said when the gunshots went silent, she tried to wake her husband up.

“I tried to wake him. I opened his mouth to help him breathe but he was gone. I have never seen a person killed in such a cruel manner. The word pain cannot describe how I feel right now.”

Johnson Mdaka was shot and killed on Tuesday.
Johnson Mdaka was shot and killed on Tuesday.
Kelebone said her husband was a peaceful man.

Their daughter Boitumelo Mdaka, 27, also watched in horror as the brazen gunmen fired shots at her father.

They had just returned home from the mall when the incident occurred at around 3.30pm. Boitumelo was sitting in the front seat next to her father who was driving, while her mother sat in the back.

“He was happy that day. We had a nice lunch as a family before we came home. I got out and opened the gate and the garage. I saw a man walking up to the car holding a gun as if he wanted to rob us. I raised my hands in surrender.

“He went straight to my father’s side and started to shoot. He fired shots continuously. Another guy walked to the other side of the car and also started shooting,” she said.

Boitumelo said the car moved into the yard and the gunman on her father’s side followed it into the yard and shot two more shots.

“He wanted to make sure that he was dead. My father died a painful death and I was there to witness it. I screamed and shouted but there was nothing I could do. It happened so quickly,” she said.

Boitumelo said she hugged her father before he took his last breath. “I could see that my father was hurt the most. I went to his door and tried to open it but it was locked.

“I then broke the window to open [it]. I gave him a hug. He held my hand tight and then let go. I screamed and cried. I asked him to wake up but he did not say anything.”

Boitumelo said she lost her hero. “I am the last born and only daughter, my father loved me so much. He would kill for me. I was his angel. He would always come to my room and say ‘I love you’.”

The association said it lost a great man. Disciplinary chairman Thulani Ngwenya said Mdaka was loved by people.

“Lisishonele ilanga [we are shattered]. Only God knows why. He was a sweet person. You wouldn’t think that something like this would happen to him. He was a friendly person,” he said.

Another disciplinary committee member, Sipho Mtshali, said they were concerned about the killings of their members. Another taxi owner, Jacob Thomas, was also killed on Tuesday.

“He was also killed as he drove home. We do not know what is going on,” he said.

Mtshali said the association had lost six members in the past six months.

Mdaka will be buried on Saturday next week at Bungeni village in Giyani.

Police spokeswoman Constable Patricia Mgijima said they were investigating two cases of murder and one of attempted murder in connection with the two incidents.

A highly-respected police station commander in Meadowlands, Soweto has been murdered at his own home in Protea Glen, as his 14-year-old daughter watched on.

Malefetsane Mofokeng was shot dead in a suspected hit on Wednesday night. EWN report that a team of detectives had been appointed to investigate the crime, lead by Commissioner Deliwe Delange.

The publication also relayed the shock felt by the community. Mofokeng was very active when in came to helping out the people he served. Local residents describe him as a “very good man”.

Senseless killing
SAPS confirmed the details of the tragic incident through a statement earlier on Friday morning. They say Mofokeng arrived at his house around 19:00 on Wednesday and was accosted by an unknown number of suspects who shot him.

Michele Clarke is the DA’s spokesperson for community safety. The MPL said that the party – who currently hold office in Johannesburg – condemn the killing and now want to see a large-scale manhunt launched to catch the perpetrator.

“These senseless killings of our police officers must come to an end. Police play a crucial in ensuring the safety of our people and communities.”

“As the DA we call on the police to launch a manhunt for the suspects and that no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of justice in this matter.”

“We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Commander’s family, relatives, friends, colleagues and the SAPS community.”

Bheki Cele reaches out to Meadowlands community
Minister of Police Bheki Cele also expressed his condolences toward Mofokeng and his family. He vowed to coordinate a swift response and bring those who committed this crime to justice.

“No one should kill one of our own and sleep at home. For us as the South African Police it is not a time to cry but to find and give answers to the family of what happened and why it happened.”

Anyone with information may contact the South African Police Service toll-free number 08600 10111. All information will be treated with strictest confidentiality and callers may remain anonymous.

School bus ripped apart by dump truck, pupil and teacher killed
School-Bus-Crash-640×480 School bus ripped apart by dump truck, pupil and teacher killed South Africa News truck teacher school ripped pupil KILLED dump bus One pupil and a teacher have been killed, after the school bus they were travelling in was ripped apart by a dump truck on Thursday.

The school bus was ferrying pupils on a field trip, but tragedy unfolded when the two heavy vehicles collided on the Interstate 80 in Mount Olive. More than 40 people needed to be treated in hospital, following the accident. The crash took place about 80km west of New York.

The circumstances behind the crash are still being investigated.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said the truck driver was among those who had been hospitalised. The truck company in question is under severe scrutiny though, as there are reports of recent incidents.

“At a local hospital this evening, Tammy Murphy and I visited privately with families and injured students involved in today’s school bus crash on Route 80,” said Gov. Murphy via his Facebook feed.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all families and school officials affected by today’s tragedy,” added Murphy.

“Our hearts are broken by today’s tragedy,” he said.

South Africa’s infant mortality rate is at its lowest in almost two decades‚ having fallen by 32% between 2002 and 2017.

This finding is contained in the 2018 South Africa Survey published by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR).

The institute said this improvement aligned with a sharp increase in the rate of antenatal first visits by pregnant women.

Analyst Tawanda Makombo said the drop in the infant mortality rate – which measures the deaths of infants under one year per 1,000 live births in a year – coincided with a 96% improvement in the rate of antenatal first visits since 2006.