Teen Killed in Umlazi Mass Shooting, Mother May Be Forced to Relocate

A grieving mother in Umlazi, Durban, is facing unthinkable trauma after her teenage daughter was gunned down during a mass shooting that left eight people dead. The attack, which happened late Friday, has added to the rising wave of gun violence plaguing South African communities.

According to African Insider, the gunmen stormed a bar in the township and opened fire indiscriminately. The shooting adds to a growing list of mass killings in one of the world’s most violent countries.

Zibuyile Madondo, the mother of 19-year-old Yonwaba Madondo, told Times Live that she managed to hide behind a sofa during the incident, but her daughter was shot and died at her feet. Yonwaba had just come back from a nearby shop where her uncle had sent her and a friend to buy cigarettes when the gunfire erupted.

“She was the last one to be killed. They shot her and she fell on my feet which is where she passed away,” Zibuyile recalled. “She had just come back from the shops… when gunmen opened fire from outside the house.”

Zibuyile is now terrified to return to her home, fearing that the gunmen may have seen her and could return. The emotional toll of the attack has left her contemplating relocating to ensure her safety.

She and her daughter had been moved to the Umlazi transit camp in 2010 after being relocated from the Uganda informal settlement. At the time, Yonwaba was only three years old.

Sixteen years later, Zibuyile is mourning her child in the same community — still without adequate infrastructure or protection. The devastating shooting has reignited calls for urgent action to tackle violent crime and improve safety in neglected townships.

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Sourced:African Insider

Picture: Business Standard