Tears flow as killed e-hailing driver is laid to rest!

MURDERED e-hailing driver Mthokozisi Siyanda Mvelase was laid to rest in an emotional funeral.

The funeral took place outside his home in Nhlungwana, Ulundi, on Saturday, 6 September.

Despite heavy rain, hundreds gathered to bid farewell to Mthokozisi, known as Toto.

The 27-year-old left home in July to look for work in Joburg, not knowing he would never return alive. Due to the brutal circumstances of his death, his remains could not enter the family home.

Mthokozisi was shot and burnt inside a Bolt e-hailing car at Maponya Mall in Soweto on 13 August, just days after starting work.

His family had to wait three weeks to bury him, as DNA testing was necessary to confirm his identity.

His remains were brought back from Joburg to KZN on Friday, 5 August, but tradition meant they were not allowed to enter the premises.

The remains stayed outside from arrival until the funeral service, which was also conducted outdoors.

After the service, he was taken straight to the village cemetery, and his spirit will only be allowed into his home after six months.

The family performed traditional rituals, including slaughtering four goats, as is customary when someone is shot and burnt.

As Zulu customs dictate, the family followed these rituals closely during this difficult time.

Heartbroken Doctor Khuzwayo, Mthokosizi’s uncle, told Daily Sun that, as Nguni or Zulu people, they must follow their traditions when someone is shot and burnt.

“He was shot and burnt, and what we did was that if someone passed away in this way. His remains are not allowed to go inside the home until it is buried in the cemetery. That is why we kept his remains outside the home.

“We slaughtered the first goat to wash and close his gunshot wounds even though we don’t know how many of them, the second goat was to take away a fire from him as he was burnt, the third one was to bring back his body parts that he lost it during the fire and the last one was to take away the cold as his body was stored in a freezer after his death,” he said.

Doctor said Mthokozisi’s spirit will be taken inside the home after six months as his spirit is placed in a waiting place.

“After six months, we will slaughter a cow and go to his grave asking his spirit to come inside home and accept it with a goat at the gate and introduce his spirit in a family altar and ask ancestors to stay with him,” he said.

KZN e-hailing chairperson Sipho Mabika said they will be more heartbroken if Mthokozisi’s killers are from KZN.

“People who stay in Joburg told me that most of the killers are the people from KZN who relocate from KZN to Joburg to look for jobs and are hired in taxi ranks.

“We will be more heartbroken if we find out that the killers are from KZN,” he said.

Santaco women’s chairperson of Women Dudu Maphumulo, said that in the taxi industry, they are familiar with the killing, but they don’t know the way Mthokosizi was killed.

“We have a confusion that we wish to see police doing a thorough investigation so that we will understand it because we know the killings in the taxi industry, but the way that Mthokozisi was murdered, we don’t know it, and we are shocked.

“We just saw the new way, and we don’t know what to call it,” she said.