A young mother, who was due to realise her dream of studying nursing, has been shot and killed close to her home, and all because of an entjie.
Denushe Witbooi, 25, had just registered to start a course in home-based nursing.
But on Sunday while sitting in her sister’s car outside a tuck shop close to their home in Klipspringer Street in Eastridge, a gunman known to the family shot Denushe in the head.
The incident happened just before 3pm while Denushe, her sister and her boyfriend and a friend stopped at the tuck shop.
Denusha was a mother to a six-year-old son and lived with her parents.
Denushe was shot while inside the vehicle. Picture: Leon Knipe
Her hartseer dad, Gordon Witbooi, says his daughters were returning home after a Sunday outing.
He explains the older daughter, who was driving, stopped at the shop and got out when the man approached her berk for an entjie.
“I have three daughters, the second eldest daughter was driving and her boyfriend was the front passenger,” Gordon explains.
“Denushe sat behind him and the friend next to her.
“This man, who knows them, asked the boyfriend for a cigarette and had a gun in his hand.
“The boyfriend gave him the cigarette and a shot just went off.”
Gordon says he was busy cleaning out his garage when his frantic daughter came speeding down the road with a bleeding Denushe in the backseat.
“She was shot on the right side of the head and the bullet went right through and we rushed her to the hospital and the doctors said her heart was strong for a few minutes and then she just passed away,” says the father with tears in his eyes.
Grieving mense console each other as the news broke. Picture: Leon Knipe
Gordon is a coach for the football club, Mitchells Plain Clinic Excellence, where he encourages young boys not to join gangs.
“I am always talking to these boys about staying away from gangs and look what happened to my own child,” he says.
On Monday Gordon had the difficult task of breaking the news of Denushe’s death to her son, Radean.
“He knows his mommy got very hurt and is in hospital,” says Gordon.
While cops combed the scene, SANDF soldiers were on the scene keeping guard.
Gordon says despite the army being deployed, crime is still king in the Plain.
“The army is here for an hour and then they leave and the shootings continue,” he says.
“I have lost my daughter now. She was so excited to start her nursing career and had registered and was due to start studying in September.”
Despite the family identifying the shooter, police spokesperson Siyabulela Malo said no arrests have been made yet.
Mense congregate outside Denushe’s home as soldiers and cops keep guard. Picture: Leon Knipe