A Zimbabwean couple from Bulawayo’s Nkulumane suburb was gunned down at their home in South Africa’s Johannesburg but the killers spared their one-year-old child.
Mbusi Mhlanga (41) and his wife whose name was not established were shot dead in South Africa on Wednesday and their bodies were discovered on Thursday morning.
The couple is said to have been gunned down as they were coming out of their home.
Family sources said South African police used the contact list in Mbusi’s phone to locate his siblings who are also based in the neighbouring country.
The Chronicle caught up with Mbusi’s father who identified himself only as Mr Mhlanga at his home in Nkulumane suburb.
He broke down while narrating how he learnt about the death of his son and daughter-in-law.
He said the family was groping for answers and wondering why Mbusi and his family were targeted for the brutal killing.
“My other children in South Africa called me saying they had been phoned by police informing them to come to the station as there was an emergency,” said Mr Mhlanga, battling emotion
The police informed them that there was a man and a woman who were shot dead at their place of residence. They said the police said after scrolling down on the man’s cellphone contact list they came across their numbers. So the police wanted them to assist in the identification of the bodies,” he said.
Mr Mhlanga said the phone call disturbed him as he could not make head or tail about what his son was talking about. He said his son left him in suspense by hanging up the phone before providing further details.
“At about 9:30AM I received another call informing me that the bodies had been identified as his son and daughter- in-law,” added Mr Mhlanga who was struggling to hold back tears.
He paused momentarily before saying: “I asked, what are you talking about? Whose bodies? He started crying saying his brother and my daughter-in-law had been shot dead.”
Mr Mhlanga said details of what transpired leading to the couple’s shooting were still unknown.
He said the killers spared the couple’s one-year-old child.
He could not explain where the child had been during more than 12 hours before its parents’ bodies were discovered.
The interview was, however, cut short by one of Mr Mhlanga’s sons who said it will not aid the family’s case to provide information to this publication.
He ordered the news crew to leave his father’s house