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Gunshots echoed through the night air, breaking the silence of an otherwise peaceful Sunday evening. Chaos ensuing as two men lay dead while the killers fled the scene.
Buthanani Golden Shange, a 63-year-old businessman, and his friend Martin Nkosenhle Sithole, a 47-year-old former school principal and an ANC member were standing outside Shange’s store in Voortrekker Street on Sunday evening, May 12, when a number of unidentified men pulled up, shooting at them. Three bystanders were wounded during the incident.
While the bystanders are currently in hospital, receiving medical attention for their injuries, Shange and Sithole are both dead.
Two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder are now under investigation. While the motive of the attack is not conclusive at this stage, a task team investigating political killings has taken over the investigation.
According to reports, Sithole allegedly witnessed a high-profile Newcastle murder case.
Adding to the seriousness of the murders, Shange and Sithole’s deaths follow the charges against Newcastle Mayor Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba at the end of March for the 2016 murder of Wandile Ngubeni, the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) regional deputy chairperson for eMalahleni.
The police appeal to anyone who may have any information on the attack to contact the toll-free Crime Stop number 086 00 10111.
Callers may remain anonymous and all information will be treated with the strictest confidence.
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