Riot Hlatshwayo

Riot Hlatshwayo

A shooting incident allegedly involving a radio producer left two people injured after an argument. Goromane United Football Club director, Mpho Mokoena, claims he was shot at by Ligwalagwala FM producer Bheki Sehlabela.

Mpumalanga police spokesman Superintendent Sibongile Nkosi confirmed the incident last Sunday but said no arrests had been made yet.

Mokoena, 31, told Sowetan yesterday that an argument had started the previous day during a match between his club and Argentina Football Club at Goromane Trust.

Sehlabela owns Argentina Football club and apparently intervened when Mokoena challenged an official from Mbombela Mayoral Cup after the official had allegedly told him that his club could not take part in the cup games because it was dominated by Shangaans.

"The radio man known to me as BK threatened me with a beer dumpie for challenging the official, who is also an official in his club," Mokoena said. "I managed to disarm him of the bottle."

A fight broke out and Sehlabela fell to the ground where Mokoena kicked him in the buttocks to "teach him a lesson".

People managed to stop the fight and Mokoena apologised to Sehlabela, who allegedly ignored him. The two met at another match the following day.

"BK came with a group of people in a blue VW Golf and a bakkie," Mokoena said. "He shouted that I was the one."

Mokoena claimed one of the people was a policeman from Masoyi police station and was the first to produce a firearm threatening to blast "my balls".

Mokoena said he managed to run away but the group cornered him a few hundred metres away.

"Someone handed a firearm to BK who immediately fired two shots - one of which struck my right arm," said Mokoena.

Mokoena and a friend, Welcome Maseko, sustained injuries in the shooting and were both admitted at Matikwane Hospital.

But Sehlabela was surprised when contacted for comment.

"Oh! My God, is this going to the newspaper? I was there but it was not me who shot at the people," he said yesterday.