Sfiso “Mkhaya” Dladla of gospel group Ithemba is fighting for his life in ICU at an undisclosed healthcare facility.
A close friend, who asked not to be identified, reported to the publication that the singer was shot many times in Umlazi V section, south of Durban.
“We’d been complaining about the high crime levels in our area but nothing was done,” said the friend.
“On Sunday, 14 March we decided to catch the criminals. We knew who they were. They don’t live far from us. We gathered as community members and went to a house to confront the criminals.”
The friend explained to the publication that when they arrived at the house the thugs began shooting at them.
“We were unarmed but one of the suspects started shooting in our direction. There was chaos and we fled in different directions. Unfortunately, Sfiso was shot multiple times in the stomach and legs. Once the situation was calm we rushed him to hospital,” he said.
Sfiso’s sister Thembi said she was only told of the incident later.
“I knew he’d gone with residents to apprehend some criminals,” said Thembi.
“But I later received a phone call from his friends informing me he’d been injured. I immediately rushed to the hospital. While I was there police came, but we never opened a case and I don’t recall them taking a statement from him.”
Thembi revealed that once everything has settled down they’d open a case.
“For now our focus is on his health. It’s been a week now and he’s still in ICU. For safety reasons we can’t disclose the name of the hospital,” she said.
“We’re grateful that we know who shot him and will be seeking justice soon.”
She mentioned that her brother had been attending community meetings as he was worried about the high crime levels in the area.
“I knew he’d gone with residents to apprehend some criminals,” said Thembi.
“But I later received a phone call from his friends informing me he’d been injured. I immediately rushed to the hospital. While I was there police came, but we never opened a case and I don’t recall them taking a statement from him.”