Solly Maphumulo
January 16 2008 at 06:53AM
Residents of rural Skielik in North West were still trying to retrace the steps of the killer who sowed mayhem in a few short minutes in the area.
A 17-year-old youth, with a previous attempted murder conviction, was arrested on Tuesday after his father led police to him.
Shortly after 2.30pm on Monday, the 17-year-old parked his blue bakkie on the tar road, at one of the entrances to Skielik. Fully decked out in camouflage gear, carrying his 303 rifle, the shooter jogged down the small path for about 300m, pa**ing an abandoned general dealer shop.
At the end of the path he found children at play. Shots rang out.
The children scattered and alerted residents that there was a white youth shooting at them. The camouflaged youth then followed a path from the general dealer between the shacks.
The first person he came upon was unsuspecting 10-year-old Tshepo Mothlaloko, who was playing outside Sivuyile Dinana's home. The small boy was gunned down.
Thirty-year-old Dinana ran outside to investigate. Moments later he was dead, metres from the entrance to his shack.
Further down a small gravel road, the 17-year-old allegedly shot randomly at people he encountered.
Among those was Anna Legwale, who was carrying three-month-old Keditlotse on her back. The child died without making a sound.
Legwale is in a critical condition in Rustenburg Hospital.
Kelebogile Seruthe was washing her three-week-old baby's nappies, watching the children at play outside her one-roomed corrugated iron shack, when the gunshots rang out.
"When I heard the first gunshot, I ran and closed the door because I wanted to protect my baby. I went back and opened the door to see if the kids were safe. That's when I was struck by a bullet," said Seruthe.
Sisters Sinah Moiphitlhi and Paulene Letholo were sitting inside their shack eating around 3pm when they heard gunshots being fired.
"I ran outside to check what was happening. When I heard gunshots, I first thought it was just firecrackers," said Letholo.
When she went to investigate, people were running in panic.
The sisters decided to flee with their two toddlers. In their flight, Letholo and Moiphitlhi were wounded in their thighs, while Sinah's 4-year-old son Naival sustained wounds to both legs.
Residents say the camouflaged youth stopped only to reload and barely uttered a word during the 20 minutes of carnage.
Residents fled across the railway line before the suspect gave up his deadly hunt and disappeared.
They were visibly relieved when Premier Edna Molewa informed them on Tuesday afternoon that the suspect had been arrested.
Through numerous witness accounts, The Star was able to piece together events which have left an indelible mark on a community struggling with issues of race.
Police spokesperson Superintendent Louis Jacobs said the suspect was arrested on Tuesday afternoon.
"The father conveyed the information about his whereabouts to the police, who then went and arrested him," said Jacobs.
The youth was arrested on one of the farms owned by his father, close to the scene of the killings.
Jacobs said the suspect's father was still in custody, after he was arrested for contravening the Firearms Control Act.
The gun allegedly used in the killing rampage belonged to the father.
