Gunned down

MOKOPANE - Gideon Fata (56) was gunned down in front of his home last Friday in what looks like the second assassination-like killing the town has seen in less than a year.  In June last year Mogalakwena Residents Association (MRA) chairman Madimetja Piet Pale was also gunned down near his home in Mahwelereng. In both cases, the gunmen shot the victims and sped off.
Fatana died after being gunned down outside his front door of his house. He was a taxi owner and business man in the construction field.
 “We were inside the house while my husband was parking one of our vehicles when we suddenly heard three gunshots,” the grieving wife of the deceased, Blantina Fatana, told Northern News on Monday morning.
Fatana’s youngest son, Robert (16) added that after the commotion, he stopped his mother from going outside immediately. The family waited a short while and then opened the front door, where they found their husband and father lying in a pool of blood on the front porch. He was not responding and was declared dead on the scene.
The police confirmed that the victim was found with three bullet wounds, one to his head and two to his neck.
“This is shocking. We hope we can rely on the police to track down the assassins this time,” said Marcelle Maritz of the DA who accompanied Northern News to the family home of the Fatanas on Monday.
The MRA expressed their shock while referring to a great man who has contributed a lot in the transporting of communities.
“He was a warm-hearted man with great sense of humility and a pillar of strength to the community. We lower our flags in respect of this great man who was both a role model and a great leader who was able to take a stand against corrupt leadership and confront them fearlessly.”
 By the time of going to print, no arrests have been made. Police investigations are continuing. The police are also calling on anyone who might have information on the whereabouts of the suspects, to contact Lt. Malesela Kekana on 082 565 8277.