I heard the gunshots as they finished him – Thabo Mahane
The haunting words of Thabo Mahane were penned from a hospital bed in the Intensive Care Unit and read at the funeral of slain Alexandra activist Vincent Ndima.
As family and friends of the slain Vincent Ndima, who was fatally shot in Alexandra, gathered to bid him farewell, his friend Thabo Mahane, who was also shot and injured during the attack, recounted the final moments of Ndima’s life.
In a letter he penned to say goodbye, Mahane expressed his wish to attend the funeral, but noted that he had just come out of the Intensive Care Unit.
The letter was read during Ndima’s funeral service at the GNF Ministries along Vincent Tshabalala Road.
“I was with him. I saw him, and I heard the gunshots when they were finishing him,” Mahane’s letter read.
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He recalled how his relationship with Ndima had once been marked by conflict but eventually grew into a close friendship. “We became friends until his last day on earth.”
Mahane also offered words of comfort to the bereaved family, urging them to stay strong and assuring them that all will be well.
Ndima and Mahane were attacked in the early hours of October 6 while driving along Joe Nhlanhla Street. The incident claimed Ndima’s life and left Mahane critically injured near 12th Avenue.
During the service, Ndima was honoured by leaders from various institutions, including police officers, soldiers, and community representatives.
He was remembered as a selfless individual who had the interests of Alexandra residents at heart.
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A representative of the SAPS noted that Ndima had played a key role in helping track down murder suspects.
Speaking at the funeral, one SAPS captain, who responded to the crime scene, described the devastation of losing a fellow crime-fighting ally.
“It was painful, seeing that the person who helped the community of Alex is no more. I could not believe that it was him I was seeing.”
Ndima, hailed as a fallen hero, will be remembered by many as a community activist and fearless leader committed to serving the people of Alexandra.
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