'Family cannot afford burial'

22 February 2013 - 10:24
By Sapa

The family of a teenage boy, shot and killed by police during a protest in Sterkspruit, cannot afford to bury him.

The family had appealed to both the police and the Sterkspruit Civic Association (SCA) to help pay for the funeral, saying both were responsible for his death.

Nkosiyethu Mgoqi, 15, was shot dead on Friday afternoon last week while returning with three friends from the protest.

"We don't even have money to go to where his body is kept," said his grandmother Nomzwandile Mgoqi.

She said the boy's parents were unemployed and mentally challenged and had not been seen at home for years. They were believed to be in Elliot.

"The last time we saw him was when he was alive, joining other residents who were going to the toyi-toyi. He never came back."

SCA chairman Mcebisi Mgojo said the association would do everything possible to ensure Nkosiyethu was buried with dignity.