In a trial involving the murder of 12 people, a state witness on Monday recounted his chilling observations of the suspects, Yanga "Bara" Nyalara and Wanda Tofile, as they allegedly embarked on the killing spree.
Testifying at the Western Cape High Court sitting in the Goodwood Prison Circuit Court, the witness, who can only be named as Mr Z, said he had been standing at Woodhouse spaza shop in Site B when he and his two friends heard the gunshots on 15 March 2021.
Outside, they saw a group of armed men and could identify three shooters who hadn’t concealed their faces.
He said they followed the suspects until Ngquks Tavern in Y-Section.
“The group was between 10 and 11armed people who were walking in a small passage between shacks in Site B where they shot someone in the face,” said Mr Z.
“They went shooting at Ngquks Tavern, some of them ran inside the tavern. And then they proceeded to a shop where they opened fire at people. We continued to follow them to the P- Section. We went home after that.
“I could identify three of them as they didn’t cover their faces. I could recognise Bara, Thulani and Mampintsha (Tofile).”
Thulani was never arrested.
Mr Z said: “Bara was carrying two big firearms (the street name is known as ugeja) which had a handle at the back. Thulani and Mampintsha were carrying two small firearms each.
“Bara was wearing a two piece navy Fabiani tracksuit and black takkies, Thulani was wearing all black - a black jersey, black jeans, black takkies and a K-way hat; Mampintsha was wearing a black top, black jeans and black takkies.
“The three were not wearing masks while the rest of the group were wearing masks which covered their mouths and nose but not the eyes and the head.”
Mr Z said his two friends have been killed because of the case.
He said he knew about Bara from before the shootings as his friends from Site C had pointed him out as “the man people complained about.”
The case continues.