The day of celebration turned to tragedy when a 12-year-old was killed on a secluded farm.
Picture: iStock
A 26-year-old man, allegedly responsible for the death of a little girl killed by a stray bullet during an Eid al‑Adha qurbani (day of sacrifice) in the Free State, has been released on bail.
Riwaan Madaka appeared in the Ficksburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 1 June 2026.
The day of celebration turned to tragedy when a 12-year-old Amatullah Bint Ismail Mungur from Azaadville, west of Johannesburg, was killed on a secluded farm in Franschhoek, near Ficksburg, on Friday, 29 May 2026.
Charges
The accident occurred at Jibalus Salaam in the mountainous region of Fouriesburg.
Free State police spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring told The Citizen that Madaka is facing a charge of culpable homicide.
“He was granted bail of R 1 000, charged with culpable homicide, and will be back in court on 22 July.”
Farm shooting
Mophiring said the fatal shooting occurred during a hunting trip on the farm.
“It was alleged that the deceased’s father and the suspect were hunting when the suspect accidentally discharged a firearm, fatally wounding the 12‑year‑old girl.”
Amatullah was rushed to the hospital but “was unfortunately declared dead upon arrival at approximately 9am.”
Mophiring added that hospital staff alerted authorities, leading to a murder case being registered.
“All firearms belonging to the suspect were confiscated for further forensic ballistic testing as part of the ongoing investigation.”
Unrelated
A source said video footage of an escaped bull on a rampage, which was widely circulated on social media platforms, was unrelated to the shooting, according to the Post newspaper.
“The video depicting the chaos which erupted when a bull, that was due to be sacrificed, broke loose from a truck and went on a rampage, was not related to the girl’s death. The incident in the Free State has no video footage,” the source claimed.
He said that only a handful of people were present at the time of the accident on the hunting farm.
Tragedy
The family had travelled to the farm to slaughter a cow for distribution among relatives and friends when tragedy struck. The animals were described as untamed and roaming freely.
A shot was fired at one of the cows, but it did not immediately go down. Another shot was allegedly fired, and that was when tragedy struck.
Amatullah was seated in a car with her mother and younger sibling at the time of the tragedy.
