Family of man killed during Wits protests shocked and devastated

The family of the Mthokozisi Ntumba says they’re shocked and devastated. The 35-year old was shot and killed in Braamfontein on Wednesday, when he was caught up in Wits university student protest.

He died on the scene from bullet wounds.

Buti Manamela describes the loss of life as ‘quite unfortunate and unnecessary’:

His cousin, Sthembiso Jwara, says it was painful for family members to hear about his death through the media.

“We are shocked as a family. He left his house in the morning going to the doctor. He has kids and was not part of any protest, it was not in any of his plans. And to find out in the news and getting the story afterward was very shocking and devastating for us as a family. There are some images that we were not ready to see.”

Police action inexcusable

Police Minister Bheki Cele has labelled the police action that led to the death of Ntumba as inexcusable. Cele met the family of Ntumba in Kempton Park east of Johannesburg on Thursday morning.

Bheki Cele says justice needs to happen in the shooting of Mthokozisi Ntumba:

The Minister says that he can’t give answers to what really happened and that the only explanation he can offer is that someone went crazy.

Ntumba was a married father of three children who had just obtained his master’s degree. He was employed by the Department of Human Settlements.

His visibly aggrieved family didn’t want to talk to the media when the Police Minister visited them.

Earlier, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) said it had gathered important evidence to proceed with its investigations into the circumstances that led to Ntumba’s death.

“The IPID investigation team is working around the clock processing voluminous evidence gathered at the crime scene. The directorate has managed to confiscate firearms and the same will be taken for ballistic analysis. The post mortem to determine the actual cause of death will be conducted later this week and the family liaison has been done and continues to be done by IPID,” says IPID spokesperson Ndileka Cola.

IPID investigating Mthokozisi Ntumba’s death as a result of police action: