Ntombela's killing renews fears of spaza shop violence

The killing of Manqoba Ntombela, a popular singer with the group Woza Afrika, has renewed fears of attacks related to spaza shop violence in Ratanda, Heildelberg.

Ntombela, a spaza shop owner, died after being shot multiple times while sitting in his car outside his house on Friday evening.

While police said they are still investigating the motive behind his murder, the chairperson of the Ratanda Spaza Shop Forums said they could not rule out that the murder could be linked to the attacks on spaza shop owners.

Bayanda Radebe said Ntombela had once gone into hiding during a wave of violence linked to extortion networks targeting local traders, which rocked the area last year.

“At one point, Manqoba had left Ratanda during the previous killings to go into hiding because he believed his life was in danger, that they were looking for him. After things calmed down, he came back this year, and we all thought it was over. But now, we’re left wondering if those people were just waiting for the right moment, when he least expected it,” Radebe said.

According to police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo, Ntombela, 63, was seated in his white Corsa bakkie, parked outside his residence on Blesbok Street in Ratanda, when an unknown gunman approached and opened fire. Locals rushed him to the hospital, but he died on the way.

“On Friday, 6.45pm, police received a complaint of a shooting that occurred at Blesbok Street and swiftly responded. Upon arrival, they found community members and a white Corsa utility bakkie parked outside one of the houses, with blood stains,” he said.

Masondo said preliminary investigations revealed that Ntombela had just parked outside his house when the assailant walked up to the vehicle and fired several shots.

“It is reported that the deceased parked his vehicle outside his house and while sitting in the vehicle, an unknown male walked towards his vehicle and started to shoot multiple times where the deceased was sitting and walked away.

“It is further alleged that a white Polo came at high speed and picked up the shooter and they drove off. At this stage, the motive for the shooting is unknown,” he said.

According to Radebe, Ntombela was shot six times.

“Apparently, a guy in a red Polo was just parked outside his yard. One of the guys from the car suddenly got out and went to where Manqoba was sitting in his car, parked outside. That’s his usual routine, he normally parks there before closing the shop,” Radebe said.

“Suddenly, this young man came out and opened fire. He was shot six times. Some local guys who were nearby quickly tried to rush him to the hospital. On the way, they saw an ambulance approaching, so they stopped it. The ambulance turned onto the roadside to assist. They attempted to resuscitate him, but it was already too late. He was gone,” said Radebe.

Radebe said there is speculation about the motives behind the killing, but nothing has been confirmed.

“At this point, everyone typically thinks it’s connected to the spaza mafia and you never really know. We’ve dealt with this before. It’s been a year since the last shooting, the last killing, so we thought this whole thing had died down.”

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