“He Was Everything to Us”: Family of Slain KwaMashu March and March Activist Speaks Out
- Sphiwe Douglas Thusini, a 41-year-old MK Party member and activist, was shot dead on 2 August 2026 in KwaMashu
- His family says his young child had to be fetched from school and could not cope with the loss
- His brother alleged Thusini was killed by someone who collected protection fees from undocumented spaza shop owners
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KWAZULU-NATAL - The family of slain KwaMashu activist Sphiwe Douglas Thusini has broken their silence, sharing the devastation left behind after his death. Thusini, 41, was shot and killed on Sunday, 2 August 2026, shortly after taking part in demonstrations against illegal immigration.
His mother described a grief too deep for words.
"I am deeply wounded, you can't see my wounds because they are deep in my heart," she said.
The family added that his young child had to be collected from school because the boy or girl was too distressed to remain in class.
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"My child was loving and did everything he could for his family. He was everything to us."
How Thusini was killed
Thusini, from K Section in KwaMashu, had reportedly been photographed by unidentified people while attending anti-illegal immigration protests. According to his brother, Thabani Thusini, the family believes he was ambushed on his return from a campaign in Ntuzuma. As he approached his home and reached for the gate, gunmen who had been hiding in the bushes opened fire. Multiple bullets struck him in the back, and he collapsed face down.
Thabani, speaking to Isolezwe, said the family had received information suggesting that a local man who collected protection fees from undocumented foreign nationals running spaza shops in the township was behind the killing. He also confirmed that Thusini had been photographed during protests, which the family believes made him a target.
Despite being a leading figure in the campaign against undocumented foreign nationals, Thabani said his brother consistently urged supporters to demonstrate peacefully.
Thusini was a committed supporter of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party and ran his activism through the organisation March and Mark.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza confirmed that a murder case had been opened and that an investigation was underway.
North West activist ambushed and killed
Briefly News also reported that crime activist and traditional healer Thato Molosankwe was targeted and shot in the early hours of 19 May 2026 during an ambush at his home in Lomanyaneng village, near Mahikeng. He died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. After the murder, Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane ordered provincial authorities in North West to send in specialised units and use all available intelligence to find the attackers. Dimpane condemned the killing and promised the community that detectives would work hard to bring those responsible to justice.
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Source: Briefly News
