Grief has gripped a Sweetwaters family and sent shockwaves through KwaZulu-Natal’s farming community following the brutal killing of respected businessman and farmer Mbongeni Skhakhane. The 50-year-old was shot dead in his bedroom last Friday night, before his attackers ransacked his safe and fled with a large sum of money. A leader and advocate for farmers, Skhakhane also served as the KwaZulu-Natal chairperson of the African Farmers Association of South Africa (Afasa).
Speaking toThe Witness,family spokesperson Thami Mhlongo said the assailants barged into the house on Friday evening, walked past the family that was watching television, and straight into his room. Mhlongo said the manner in which Skhakhane was killed was suspicious, but would not elaborate further. He said after the assailants killed Skhakhane, they forced a child at gunpoint to open the safe and “cleaned it out”.
He was supposed to have gone to buy livestock on Saturday for customers. He was a farmer. Some of his customers had paid upfront for their purchases, so he was supposed to have gone to buy goats and sheep the following day.
Read Full Article on The Witness
[paywall]
One man came yesterday to say he had ordered five goats for a function he had prepared. He always kept money because of the nature of his businesses. This is a devastating blow for the family.
Mhlongo said apart from farming and property business, Skhakhane also owned a shop and a tavern near his house. Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza said Skhakhane was shot twice before the suspects took valuable items from the house and fled the scene with the deceased’s vehicle. Tributes have been pouring in for Skhakhane. Afasa national chairperson Molefe Mahape described Skhakhane’s killing as a devastating blow, saying it robbed the country of a committed “soldier” in the fight against food insecurity.
[/paywall]
