A week after a harrowing 16-hour hostage ordeal ended in the deaths of her son and teenage grandson, the sole survivor, 69-year-old Christina Mashigo, is struggling to find peace. The elderly woman, who was held hostage in her family home, told City Press that she is battling to sleep and remains deeply traumatised by the events of that fateful day. "I even told the social workers that I am not ready to speak. I have been through hell, and I still cannot believe I am alive. When I close my eyes to sleep, the scene replays itself as if it were still unfolding. I will talk when I am ready," she said from her lounge on Thursday.
The tragedy, which has left the Mashigo family shattered, began on Tuesday morning at around 8 am. Christina's 32-year-old son, Constable Thapelo Mashigo, took her and her 18-year-old grandson, Keitumetse Mashigo, hostage in their home in the Buffer Zone. He released his elderly mother at around 11 pm, and just minutes before midnight, two shots were heard from inside the house. When the police special task force entered the home, they found both Constable Mashigo and his nephew dead with gunshot wounds.
The exact sequence of events, including when the Grade 12 Hoërskool Silverton pupil was shot, remains a mystery. Christina stated that the family is currently focused on burying their loved ones before trying to make sense of what happened. She said it would be "inappropriate and insensitive" to speak about the incident before the deceased were even buried. The Mamelodi East Police Station has opened an inquest, and Christina is a key witness.
The grieving mother also expressed her deep hurt over the lies being spread on social media about her family during this difficult time, including rumours that her deceased son was on drugs. A voice note allegedly recorded by Mashigo during the hostage situation has been circulating on social media, suggesting the standoff may have been triggered by his discovery that a child he believed was his belonged to his brother.
A Community and A Profession in Mourning
A neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed disbelief at the incident, describing Constable Mashigo as a quiet and humble person. "I was already at work when I saw the drama unfolding on our street. When I learnt that it was [Mashigo] holding his family hostage with a firearm, I was just shocked. I have never seen him arguing with anyone, let alone fighting. So, we are just as baffled as everybody else about what happened," the neighbour said.
Constable Mashigo joined the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 2019 and was based at the Boschkop Police Station, deployed at the regional essential infrastructure task team.
The incident has also placed a spotlight on the issue of domestic violence and the mental health struggles faced by many men in South Africa. Themba Masango, a Mamelodi resident and secretary-general of Not In My Name International, a movement that campaigns against gender-based violence and social injustice, described the incident as a painful reminder of the domestic violence that continues to plague communities. He stated that this violence often stems from men’s internalised struggles, making them dangerous not only to those around them but also to themselves.
Masango noted that the incident coincided with World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September. He highlighted grim statistics, stating that South Africa ranks tenth in the world for suicides, with 23.5 suicides per 100,000 people. He added that of the 13,774 suicides reported in 2023, 10,861 were men. "These figures underscore a grim reality in which men dominate both violence and suicide statistics, trapped in cycles of rage, silence and despair," Masango concluded.
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