SUMMER JACOBS
It’s been four months since Phumeza Fudumele, a Dunoon resident who worked at the Nando’s in Sunningdale, was gunned down by police, but her family is no closer to receiving answers to her senseless killing.
Ms Fudumele, 22, was shot dead by police as she and other Nando’s employees were being taken home by staff transport on February 25 (“Young mother killed by cops,” Tabletalk, March, 2). Her colleague, Zanele Dineka, was shot in the leg but survived.
Police confused the staff transport vehicle, a Toyota Avanza, with a vehicle used in an armed robbery and fired a series of shots at it.
Barely a month later, on Monday March 14, in freakishly similar circumstances, police mistakenly shot and killed two McDonald’s staff being ferried home.
Ms Fudumele left behind a six-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son.
Cases of murder and attempted murder were opened and investigated by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
Ipid spokesman Robbie Raburabu says they have not made any headway in the investigation as they are still waiting for technical reports.
“We are waiting on reports relating to the firearms used as well as the post-mortem examination. These reports are done by outside service providers,” said Mr Raburabu.
Ms Fudumele’s mother, Thozama Fudemele, from Khayelitsha, said they were still waiting for the police to contact them.
“We are in the dark. The only contact we’ve had with the police is when we had to go to the police station to get papers signed for money to be released.
“We are still waiting for them to make contact with us about the case. She has two small children.
“There is no one who is supporting them like their mother used to,” she said.
Trudi van Niekerk, business development director for Nando’s, said: “We can confirm that we are continuing to follow up with Ipid in respect of their investigation of this case.”
