LISTEN | Shot 14 times, man tells how he fought hitman as two friends killed in cold blood

A survivor who was shot 14 times in a hit that left two of his friends dead, put up a brave fight against a hitman to save his life.

On the fateful day in 2019, Thabang Moila was enjoying a Sunday afternoon gathering with his friends at the home of young businessman Convency Thwala in Zithobeni, Bronkhorstspruit, when two gunmen ambushed the group, randomly shooting at them without warning.

The intense shooting happened in broad daylight and claimed Thwala's life. He was shot at close range in the neck and died on the doorstep of his house.

Another friend, Kagiso Rampou, who ran to hide inside the house, was followed by the merciless gunmen and shot multiple times, including in his abdomen. He died in hospital three days later.

Last week, one of the shooters, Sibusiso Mtshali, was sentenced to two life terms for two counts of premeditated murder, 15 years for three counts of attempted murder, and six years for possession of a firearm for the May 19 2019 shooting.

Moila's evidence was key in putting Mtshali in jail as he was the only surviving witness who could identify the shooter. 

The 34-year-old recounted the fatal shooting that changed the lives of three families and left him disabled.

“We were sitting on the lawn inside the yard talking about politics. I remember it was near the [2019] elections.

“Kagiso was into politics. As we were talking, I heard gunshots. I thought someone was playing with a gun, but I went to the house as a safety precaution. As I walked, I realised I had been shot in the foot and started to panic,” he told TimesLIVE.

Hiding in the furthest room in the house did not help Moila.

“When I went inside I got shot through the window a few times. They were shooting from the gate like they were trying to finish the magazines, they did not stop. I crawled to Convency's room, which was the last room in the house, to look for his gun, but I did not find it.

“The shooting stopped for a few seconds, but I then heard two shots fired closer to the house. That is when they killed Convency, who was lying on the doorstep. I heard two other shots inside the house, that is when they shot Kagiso again. I then heard footsteps coming towards the room I was in.” 

He said the gunman tried to open the door twice, and he was then shot through the door, wounding him on the shoulder and thigh.

The top part of the door fell as Moila and gunman Sibusiso Mtshali, 29, wrestled.

 “When the door fell it partially covered me. The gunman put his hand under the door [preparing to shoot at close range] but I grabbed the gun. We fought for the gun, I remember at some point the gun was pointed at me and the hammer was up. I held the guy and I pushed the gun to the side. I disengaged the magazine and it fell. He shot the bullet that was [in the chamber] and the gun disengaged and had no more bullets.”

Bleeding from gunshot wounds to the shoulder, back, nose and from multiple shots in his legs, Moila gave his all to narrowly escape death.

“I thought I might as well fight because I had nowhere to run. That was the last place in the house and my only option was to fight back. I had nothing to lose because if I had just sat they would have shot me dead anyway, so I fought.”

The fight lasted about three minutes before a second gunman walked in.

“Eventually he [Mtshali] got hold of the gun and cartridge and they ran out. I gave chase. [Mtshali] slipped on blood and bleach which had spilt in the kitchen.

“Mtshali's white jeans and red T-shirt were covered in blood. Convency was lying at the door face up and the gunmen jumped over him.

“I tried to catch Mtshali by holding his T-shirt, but I fell on the ground outside.”

A palm print Mtshali left when he wrestled in the doorway with Moila led to his arrest, three years after the double-murder. He was traced when he appeared for a separate murder case at Vanderbijlpark magistrate’s court in March 2022.

“Seeing him at the ID parade reminded me of the two friends I had lost and the life-changing experience. I remember [the day of the shooting] Kagiso suffered a lot of pain. When we got to Mamelodi regional hospital his stomach was very big, it was swollen, worse than that of a pregnant woman. The doctors said he was critical.

“I last saw Convency on a stretcher going into the hospital as I was driven out by the ambulance. I thought he was fine and would recover. A few days after I underwent the operation, I was told they had both died.”

Apart from losing two friends, Moila's leg was amputated. Whether cutting his leg was a decision taken to save his life at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, he still searches for answers. Moila, who helps manage a family transport business, now has a prosthetic leg.

“My life has changed a lot, I suffered from anxiety and being scared of gunshots. At home there are certain things I cannot do in a hurry.”

While Moila adapted to functioning with one leg, he cannot play soccer. The last time he played his favourite sport was just hours before the shooting.

“Until this day I still do not know why we were shot. I had hoped maybe he [Mtshali] could talk and lead police to the other people involved in the shooting, but he refused. He told the court he went to Bronkhorstspruit to fetch batteries and came across our house to help us — he lied.

“He changed our lives so much, Convency was everything to his father and kept his father's business together. Kagiso wanted to give his family a better life. As much as they were doing well he wanted to uplift them to a better place. It is painful seeing the two most important people in their families have passed. Their families depended on them. We were just young people who had business ambitions.”

Sentencing Mtshali, judge Joseph “Papi” Mosopa described the double-murder as a “hit”, saying the country was inundated with contract killings.

“We see it in the news, stories of people being shot. Sometimes fathers go to bed without any certainty that they will wake up tomorrow.”

For this reason, he said, courts were the only hope to deal with the contract killings.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that placed Mtshali at the crime scene, he maintained his innocence, which Mosopa said was indicative of his lack of remorse. He said Mtshali's actions on the day had caused great harm to the victims' families.

“When you leave here today, your children will know where their father is — in jail. They will be able to visit you. The victims' families will have only graves to visit,” said the judge.