Life after death at the house where 8 people were gunned down

Cape Town - After losing her mother two months ago, Nosisi Hlotywa spent Monday, two weeks ago, scrubbing the blood of her dead sister off the floors of the home she now lives in.

Hlotywa’s sister Lumka and her husband Thobekile Yawa were among the eight people who were shot and killed at their Gugulethu home at NY78.

Nosisi is preparing to lay her sister to rest today.

A tearful Nosisi was saddled with the daunting task of answering questions about her sister as friends and family paid their respects.

She said living in the house has not yet presented any difficulties and she anticipates that reality of her loss will kick in after the funeral.

“Hearing about the incident was like the wind had been snatched right from beneath my feet. When we arrived, it was a blood bath, but you will remember that these people had been drinking and partying, having fun so there was a mixture of blood and alcohol, it was just a mess throughout the house,” she said.

Nosisi said Hlotywa had hosted a birthday celebration for her pastor the night before. Her “friends arrived on the day of the incident at around 10am coming from wherever they had been partying, although she did not want to open for them she eventually let up and allowed them in and then the party continued from then on”.

“On the day of the incident we couldn’t do anything, we couldn’t clean the house because we felt we needed to get together with the other families because every family has their own beliefs and ways that they do things. So we called them to ask if they wanted to be part of the clean-up. Some agreed and some just said we may go ahead and clean the house. It was hard, it took the whole of Monday but some of my sister’s friends and neighbours came by to lend a helping hand,” Nosisi said.

Hlotywa and Yawa had been living alone in the house since Hlotywa’s only child died about five years ago.

The constant flow of visitors has made it easy for Nosisi to live in her deceased sister’s home.

“Every day I wake up hoping it was all a bad dream but then I see everyone around me and reality kicks in. I haven’t really had the time to mourn my sister because we are so busy with everything and trying to make sure we lay her to rest with dignity. I am sure when everything is said and done and people go home, I will be alone here and the reality of what has happened will hit. Lumka was like my mother, we lost our mom two months ago and since then she had amazingly assumed the role of our mother,” she said.

“I sometimes lose track of time during the day because there is just so much to do, I am fearful of what will happen when everyone has to go home,” she said.

Police spokesperson, Colonel Andre Traut said although there were four suspects in custody, police could not confirm that they were involved in the NY78 massacre.

“The four suspects who were arrested in Cofimvaba on Sunday are being detained for the murders as pointed out in our statement. The possibility that they could be involved in other murders is not ruled out; however they have not been linked to the murders in Gugulethu last week as yet,” he said.

The dead include Thobekile Yawa, Phindiwe Yawa, Mzikayise Mngeni, Xola Hayiya, Dumisani Nongwana, Zama Mabusela and Lindelwa Mafuya.

Weekend Argus