Dead For No Reason

It was a simple misunderstanding but it sparked a case of instant street justice that left two innocent men dead – now their families are trying to pick up the pieces.

- Zama Chutshela

IT WAS his first month at a new job and his family couldn’t wait for him to come home and tell them what he’d seen on the road as an assistant driver at one of Durban’s largest distribution companies.

They became alarmed when Lucky Sefali (28) didn’t arrive home at his usual time, so his sister, Ntombenhle Mlo Zangwa, started searching for him.

“I went to his workplace and one of his colleagues told me he was last seen at a taxi rank in Pinetown,” she says.

And it’s here Lucky spent his last harrowing moments on Earth. He and a friend, Mlungisi Nxumalo (43), were attacked by a mob in a horrifying case of instant street justice – and they’d done nothing wrong.

Mlungisi had been asked by his friend, Bukisa Cele, to watch his 11-year-old mentally handicapped son while he bought the boy food at a nearby stall.

The child started screaming – he was prone to sudden outbursts – and bystanders suspected Mlungisi of kidnapping the boy. Lucky saw what was going on and tried to help – so the crowd beat, kicked and pummelled the pair to death.

Mlungisi’s sister, Ntokozo Mbanjwa, was at the taxi rank at the time. “It happened in front of me. There was blood everywhere and he was badly injured. I could see they wanted him dead. It was a horrific sight so I decided to leave. I didn’t know they were killing my brother.”

The attack was caught on camera and posted to social networks where it spread like wildfire. In one clip, Lucky is seen being stoned and kicked by the angry crowd. As he slowly moves his head his attackers take turns beating him with sticks. They’re also seen bashing his head to the ground.

Ntombenhle is devastated by the footage. “It was trending on Facebook but I didn’t recognise his face. One of my friends sent me a photo on WhatsApp Only then I realised it was my brother.”