There is a silence that follows the storm of bullets. It’s a silence filled with the echoes of screams and the heavy scent of gunpowder. For Deliwe Kabini, that silence is where her life fractured into a before and an after.
That before was a normal night at the Qedukuma Tavern in Zithobeni, Bronkhorstspruit. The after was the early hours of October 5th, a scene of chaos where five people lost their lives and six others were injured. On Monday, in a small, tense courtroom, a small measure of accountability took shape as the man linked to the shooting, Xolani Musawenkosi Xulu, abandoned his bid for freedom.
He will remain behind bars, facing five counts of murder and three of attempted murder.
“The Bullets Just Kept Coming”
While the legal process began its slow grind, the human cost of that night was voiced just outside the courthouse by Kabini. Her story is not one of statistics, but of raw, personal terror.
She remembers hiding, her world reduced to the space behind a table. As gunfire erupted, turning a social space into a killing field, that simple piece of furniture became her only shield. “Had it not been for that table, I would have been killed,” she said, the memory vivid in her words. “It saved my life.”
But her refuge offered a horrifying view. Just feet away, she saw her boyfriend, Lesego Sedibeloane, lying on the floor. Motionless. Bleeding. “As we were hiding, I saw Lesego lying on the floor, motionless and bleeding. The bullets just kept coming,” she relayed. “People were shot and murdered right next to me.”
Her testimony paints a devastating picture of a community gathering shattered in an instant.
The Complex Web of the Investigation
The legal case itself is complex. Police allege that Xulu, a 33-year-old from Brentwood Park in Benoni, was the patron who opened fire in the crowded tavern around 3am.
In a tragic twist, the incident also ensnared another victim. A patron who was armed and injured during the chaos had his 9mm pistol taken from him. Police spokesperson Brenda Muridili confirmed that this man will now face charges for the negligent handling of his firearm, a stark reminder of how quickly a weapon can be turned against a community.
With only one of the five deceased formally identified so far, the investigation continues to unfold. The case has been postponed to January 13, 2026, allowing the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation to complete its work and formulate a final charge sheet.
For now, a suspect remains in custody. For the families of the five killed, for the six recovering from their injuries, and for survivors like Deliwe Kabini, it is a first, small step on a long road toward justice , a road that began behind a table, as bullets rained down.
{Source: Citizen}
