Young civil engineer’s family shattered after he is shot and killed in Nellmapius
The body of a man found with gunshot wounds in the back and chest on the side of the road in Nellmapius last week, has been identified.
A young civil engineer’s journey in pursuit of his dreams has been cut short after he was shot two times and left on the side of the road in Nellmapius, last week.
The deceased has since been identified as 28-year-old Vusi Dimpho Tshabalala, a qualified civil engineer and father of a three-year-old originally from Ermelo, Mpumalanga.
He moved to Pretoria three months ago, to work at an engineering firm to attain experience as a young professional employed by the Gert Sibande Municipality.
The Tshabalala family had been searching for him since February 17, after Vusi did not show up at work. This was the day after he was found dead with gunshot wounds on the back and chest.
An emotional father, Bhuti Tshabalala, spoke to Rekord and recounted the events before and after they identified Vusi’s body.
“On Thursday [February 17], a friend who worked with Vusi but stayed here in Ermelo came to our home looking for him after Vusi was last seen at work on Tuesday,” he said.
“His phone was off and we could not reach him. We were worried because my son just moved to Pretoria and was in a place he is not used to. My wife and I had sleepless nights and were in tears.”
On Saturday, one of Vusi’s friends, Bongani Masilela, who knew where Vusi stayed, went to his flat in Nellmapius to search for him.
“The friend asked the people in the yard and everyone said they last saw Vusi on Tuesday.”
Bhuti said Masilela was told by community members that there was a person they found dead in a nearby street. Vusi’s brother also found Rekord’s article online about the dead man.
“We were scared and we prayed that it may not be him. The friend went to the morgue the same day after visiting Silverton police station– only to find that it was indeed my son.”
Earlier this week, Bhuti identified the deceased as his last-born child.
“I will not lie this is hurting us and sometimes I feel that it is beyond me. My family is not okay, his mother and siblings are all going through a hard time.”
Bhuti said the way his son died was heart-wrenching.
“I went to the place where my son died,” he said.
“The people who stay there told me that they heard gunshots on Tuesday night. I understand that they were scared to go out. They found him at 05:00.
“My son was killed so painfully. Sometimes I feel it would have been better if he maybe was sick so that I can get time to look after him.”
He said Vusi died a few metres from where he stayed.
“It is very mysterious how he died because his door was not locked as if he was someone who went out to a nearby place. His key and the gate remote were missing.
“His friends tell me they last spoke to him on the phone around 23:30 on Tuesday. Knowing Dimpho [Vusi], he would not go out that late at night without a valid reason.
“I suspect there is something that led him to go out of the room at that time, it might be that someone called him to go out and that is when he was killed.”
Bhuti said his son was found without a wallet and his phone.
“Although it will not bring back my son, I pray that they find the people who did this to him. Maybe then we can find peace in our hearts, but right now it is all too heavy to process.”
Bhuti described his son as a person full of humility, who loved to laugh, and a brilliant young man. Vusi graduated from the Central University of Technology, Free State in 2015.
“My son loved to laugh and that drew people towards him, he had a lot of friends and he appreciated people. He was also a disciplined young man.”
Bhuti recounted the last conversation he had with his son days before he was murdered.
“I was teasing him that I will no longer call him because he takes time to call us (parents) and as always my boy was laughing at me and our conversation ended pleasantly.
“We were very fond of my son, his humbleness and humility always warm our hearts. His friends, like the family, are in pain,”
Bhuti said the pain of losing a child cut deep.
“Vusi lost one of his best friends last year in a car accident.
“I always looked at that child’s parents and felt pain for them. Now I am experiencing that deep pain just like them, it is hard having to bury your own child.”
Vusi leaves behind a three-year-old daughter, mother, father, and his older brother and sister. He will be laid to rest in Everest Park, Ermelo in Mpumalanga on Saturday, February 26.
Silverton police station spokesperson Warrant Officer Isaac Mculu said the murder case investigations were still continuing and no suspects have been arrested yet.
He said circumstances around Vusi’s death were still unknown.
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