Hi-Tech officer murdered: “He was a brave man.”
A medal will be awarded in his honour.
“Isaac Masinga was a brave man. He made us proud,” said Hi-Tech CSG Lowveld’s manager, Johnny Kerswill on Monday. Two days prior, Hi-Tech had received confirmation that Masinga, a 44-year-old reaction officer, died after being shot on Wednesday. “We will honour him with a medal for bravery,” Kerswill added.
At the time of Masinga’s shooting in the early hours of Wednesday, he was observing a high-risk area in Bushbuckridge.
Three armed men in balaclavas opened fire on his vehicle. He was hit in the arm and chest. At Kiaat Private Hospital, doctors tried in vain to remove the bullet from his chest. Masinga was operated on again on Thursday.
His death left colleagues traumatised and plagued by fear. “We believe that security- company reaction personnel are being targeted,” said Dick Strydom, operations manager at Hi-Tech CSG White River and Northern Regions. This echoed a statement made by his colleague, Ian de Paiva on Friday. Both had worked closely with Masinga.
Strydom was reluctant to address the media on Saturday.
“This has hit us, myself and everyone at Hi-Tech, very hard. The victim’s next of kin are also very traumatised,” he said. By Monday morning, Strydom still sounded emotional. “I cannot say that things are better than Saturday, because we cannot bring Isaac back,” he said while driving to the Bushbuckridge Police Station. There, he would confirm that the case of attempted murder the police had been investigating was now a case of murder.
The exact cause of Masinga’s death, presumably as a result of the shooting, was to be confirmed yesterday afternoon after a post-mortem had been conducted on his body.
The two met in 2007 as Hi-Tech employees in White River and clicked immediately. This was the start of a long working relationship.
“He was very loyal,” said Strydom. This was followed by a moment’s silence and a deep breath. “He was humble and reliable. We could always count on him and he always went the extra mile,” he added.
Jan de Beer, a former Hi-Tech employee who now lives in Mozambique, commented on Masinga’s death on Facebook.
“He had worked with me for a long time. Hy was ‘n yster,” he said. De Beer expressed his sympathies to Masinga’s family.
“Our point of contact, as requested by his next of kin, is his brother. We can confirm that he had a wife and that she is deeply distraught,” said Strydom.
Masinga was one of two reaction personnel targeted by attacks in the last 10 days. Days before Masinga was shot, his 37-year-old colleague had miraculously escaped unscathed after walking into an ambush in KaBokweni.
“He is the fourth Hi-Tech employee to die in the field in 19 years. People do not always realise what our officials are exposed to, especially in rural areas. They face grave danger every day,” he said.
Kerswill’s voice was filled with resolve when he added: “We will not stand back. In the light of recent threats, we may change our contingency plans, but we won’t give up on fighting for communities’ safety.” He concluded the conversation with an old World War II saying and a promise.
“Attack is the best defence. We will do what it takes to keep our communities safe.”
