Cape Town - At the trial in the wake of the devastating mass shooting that claimed the lives of 12 people, a State witness provided critical testimony yesterday.
The witness recounted their chilling observations of Yanga “Bara” Nyalara and Wanda Tofile, the accused, as they allegedly embarked on the harrowing killing spree.
Testifying in the High Court sitting in the Goodwood Prison Circuit Court, the witness, known as Mr Z, was allowed to conceal his identify by wearing a face mask.
He said he had been standing at Woodhouse spaza shop in Site B when he and his two friends heard the gunshots on March 15, 2021.
Mr Z and his two friends went outside and saw the group of suspects.
They followed the suspects up to Ngquks Tavern in Y-Section, before the suspects went in another direction.
“The group was between 10 and 11 armed people who were walking in a small passage between shacks in Site B where they shot someone in the face.
“They went shooting at Ngquks Tavern, some of them ran inside the tavern. Then they proceeded to a shop where they opened fire at people. We continued to follow them to the P-Section. We went home after that. I could identify three of them as they didn’t cover their faces.
“I could recognise Bara, Thulani and Mampintsha (Tofile),” Mr Z testified.
“Thulani” was never charged in connection with the incident.
“Bara was carrying two big firearms which had a handle at the back,” Mr Z continued.
“Thulani and Mampintsha were carrying two small firearms each.
“Bara was wearing a two-piece navy Fabiani tracksuit and black takkies. Thulani was wearing all black – black jersey, black jeans, black takkies and a K-Way hat. Mampintsha was wearing a black top, black jeans and black takkies.
“The three were not wearing masks while the rest of the group were wearing masks which covered their mouths and nose but not the eyes and the head.”
Mr Z said his two friends with whom he witnessed the shootings – Inganathi and Esihle – have been killed because of the case.
Mr Z further explained that he knew Nyalara before the shootings as his friends from Site C had pointed him out as “the man people complained about”.
The witness walked into the court and pointed out Nyalara and Tofile.
He also confirmed that it was them when he returned to where he was testifying. The State then closed the testimony and the case was rolled over to this morning for a ballistic expert to confirm and explain some contents in his report.
Cape Argus