Last year on the 4^th April 2003 both my father and my brother were shot in a Police Station.

My father was Lucky he survived; my brother was not so lucky. The Murderer is related to us.

 My brother and my cousin had an argument about a car radio. My brother was just 23 years old and my cousin is 50 years old. Earlier during the day he had threatened my brother and pulled his gun on my brother. My cousin is known to have a Temper.

My little brother of 11years saw my cousin chasing my brother and pulling the gun on him. He ran home and told my father, my father went looking for my brother. My father found my brother and his friend and took them to the Ennerdale Police Station to lay a charge. Somehow my cousin also ended up at the police station. My father told the police officers about the scenario.

Twice he warned the police about my cousin’s gun that was out of the gun holster, they did not react. My brother, father and my cousin had some words and then all of a sudden he started shooting. My brother was shot twice, one in the back and one in the neck. According to police the one in the back was the fatal shot that came out in his chest. The one to the neck came out just above his eye. My father was shot in his arm and one in his tummy.

 All this happened on a Friday. The next Monday my cousin got Bail of R1000.00. Up until now we are still waiting to go to court. The case is on the High Court Roll. We had court date from the 9 – 11^th February 2004. All of a sudden my cousin has become very ill. He has to go for Dialysis once a week and has all kinds of illness. Prior to the shooting incident he did not have all these ailments.

 The court case was postponed because he was not feeling well and because the next day he had to go for dialysis. He comes to court in a wheelchair, but when it is not, we see him driving around in his bakkie. The next day his Advocate gave us a Plea bargain Eight years suspended for Six years, we rejected the plea bargain. We were told that my brother provoked my cousin and he just snapped. My brother did not have any weapon on him.

To date we have not heard anything form the investigating officer about a new court date. I phoned him 3 weeks ago and he told me the new court date would be in October 2004. Surely a person should be Safe in a Police Station. The police did nothing to protect my family. My cousin emptied his gun on my father and brother. The police did not even attempt to disarm him. When the bullets were finished he handed the gun to the police officers.

 So much for a crime free South Africa. Yet crime that happens in a Police station: he will just be serving a few years because he is sick! I am Sick of the crime. I am sick of looking at my parents suffering and yet there is nothing I can do for them. I wish I could take all their Pain and Suffering upon myself.

I wish the trial could pass and then maybe we can start living a normal life.

 

My brother’s birthday is one of the Saddest days for us.

Not to mention Christmas and Easter (because he was killed just before Easter).