The Sunday Mail
A Gauteng man woke up and chose violence — literally.
But it seems his plan did not quite end as he had hoped after he shot himself in the leg while escaping.
Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said emergency services were called to the scene of a shooting in Kenilworth just after 7am in the morning.
“Reports indicate that an adult male had been shot in the head and chest during an armed robbery by a gun-wielding adult male. This happened at the corners of Van Hulsteyn and Andrews streets.
“After the firearm was discharged, the gunman attempted to flee on foot. In doing so, he shot himself in the upper thigh, effectively ending his escape,” Herbst said.
He added that the adult male victim was found to have sustained critical injuries and was treated on scene by emergency care practitioners.
“The suspect had sustained serious injuries and was treated on scene by paramedics. Once stabilised, both patients were transported to hospital for further care. Circumstances leading to the incident will be investigated by the relevant authorities,” Herbst added.
‘Dead’ man found
breathing in mortuary
An Indian man declared dead after a road accident shocked his relatives when they found him still breathing despite a night in the freezer of a hospital mortuary.
Srikesh Kumar was rushed to a clinic in critical condition after he was hit by a motorbike in Moradabad, east of the capital New Delhi.
He was transported to a private medical facility where he was declared dead on arrival by the doctor and then transported to a government hospital for a post-mortem.
“The emergency medical officer examined him. He did not find any signs of life and hence declared him dead,” Rajendra Kumar, the hospital’s medical superintendent, told AFP.
The doctor said police were informed and the body was placed in the mortuary freezer until his family arrived six hours later.
“When a police team and his family came over to initiate the paperwork for the autopsy, he was found alive,” he added.
Rajendra Kumar said the 45-year-old was undergoing further treatment, but was still in a coma.
“This is nothing short of a miracle,” he added.
An investigation was underway to determine how the doctors mistakenly declared him dead.
Duo drowns while
friends record on phones
A viral video that gives a sorry account of the tragic moment two boys sadly lost their lives while swimming in a river has sparked outrage after surfacing on the internet.
The 17-seconds video in circulation on social media platforms captures at least five young men, believed to be close friends, having a good time in a river on a bright afternoon.
While two of the young men were seen cautiously swimming at the shallow bank of the river, three others decided to go farther into the deep section of the water, perhaps to show off their swimming prowess.
A sixth person who was busily recording the fun moment could be heard cheering on his friends. He did not know that tragedy was about to strike.
The three young men who swam furthest could be seen struggling to stay float on the surface of the river as they began to drown.
Fortunately, one of them identified only as Ben managed to swim ashore to join the two who were playing safe at the shallow section.
However, the other two lost their lives as they sunk helplessly, amid gasps for air and calls for help.
The bystander who was filming them was heard urging on Ben to reach out to those drowning, but he could not return to retrieve them as he was equally battling for his life.
Human remains
found in freezer
Almost a week after body parts were found in a man’s freezer in Soweto, some residents still cannot believe that he is been accused of murdering his wife.
Flavio Hlabangwane’s neighbours thought it was a case of mistaken identity when the 26-year-old from Protea Glen made headlines.
People in his neighbourhood described him as a peace-loving bookworm who did not have friends and was always in the company of his mother, Grace Hlabangwane. They said they were shocked when they heard what had happened.
Hlabangwane was married to his cousin, Tshepang Tsipe, and it is suspected that the human remains in his home were hers.
A neighbour said: “He was a decent child who I was very proud of. Seeing him growing up and achieving seven distinctions, I thought he was an inspiration to other kids.”
Hlabangwane briefly appeared in the Protea Magistrates’ Court where he was charged with murder.
He was arrested after his new girlfriend allegedly discovered body parts in the deep freeze in his rented room.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said an off-duty police officer responded to a call, went to the alleged crime scene and arrested Hlabangwane.
Muridili said the body parts would be sent to forensics for identification.
The neighbours said that Hlabangwane and Tsipe had been living together, and that they had heard that she was missing.
“We couldn’t have imagined that he would be the one linked to her murder. He is humble and well mannered.
“We found it quite strange that he married his cousin. I suspect that he might have done this because her [late] mother’s money was due since she and her twin sister were beneficiaries. The mother — Flavio’s aunt — was a nurse and worked in London for many years.”
Hlabangwane attempted to commit suicide by stabbing himself multiple times after he was apprehended by community members.
“ . . . nevertheless, we are shocked that Flavio is capable of such a horrible thing,” said the neighbours.
Walking with bees on
body for over 30 years
A Zambian man has risen to fame in his community owing to his ability to walk with bees on his body without being stung.
The man, who describes himself as “king of bees”, said he has been keeping the insects for the past 30 years and began from his childhood. Aside from the fame it has brought him, he also makes money selling honey and helps people disturbed by bees to remove the insects.
In a YouTube video by Afrimax, the self-acclaimed king of bees explained that to make the insects lay on him, he first identifies and place the queen bee on his body.
Once this is successful, the other honey bees buzz towards him and make a camp on his body around the queen bee — a way of protecting the queen.
He gets the queen bee to maintain a static position on his body by tying the insect with a rope around his waist. The man said he has been keeping bees since his childhood.
Owing to the fame in his immediate environment, people disturbed by bees seek his services to help chase the insects away, this he does at a price. He also sells off honey combs produced by the bees. — Wires.
