Professional boxer Mzuvukile “Old Bones” Magwaca hit his boxing opponents hard and lifted international titles with ease.
The pugilist controlled the boxing ring with style before knocking his opponents to the floor.
But that incredible skill and illustrious career hangs in the balance after Magwaca was shot by intruders at his DDT section home in Site C on Thursday January 18.
He spoke to Vukani about his ordeal, which left him screaming from the excruciating pain.
Less than seconds after entering his home just after 10pm, he found three unknown gunmen waiting for him. They ordered him to keep quiet or he would be killed.
Magwaca had no choice but to obey the orders. The men asked for the keys to his locked hokkie (shack) and he handed them over without any hesitation. Together with his younger brother, Someleze, they were dragged to another room to point out where money was kept. He pleaded with them not to shoot and assured them that they could take whatever they wanted.
Magwaca’s mother sells sweets and other goodies like chips. Finally they found money and handed it to the three men. But the ordeal continued. The men wanted a plasma television set that was mounted in his room. He and his brother were told to unscrew the set. As he went down to get a spanner, the men opened fire, hitting him in his left thigh, but they still ordered him to get up and help his brother to remove the television. It was then that he realised that his dream of still fighting might be over.
Sitting at the place where he was shot, the Duncan Village-born Cape Town-based boxer said he is still coming to terms with the attack.
“Everything happened fast. When I opened the door at my mother’s sitting room, they were already inside. I was ordered to keep quiet. After almost 20 to 30 minutes they left. They could see I was bleeding.”
After the shooting, Magwaca started to lose conciousness. His brother had to take him to the nearby fire station where an ambulance was called and he was taken to Tygerberg Hospital.
The disappointed athlete said the whole incident has stifled his career. Asked about the future, he said it was difficult to respond. But his mother, Phumza Magwaca, interjected. “This is a breadwinner here. We are depending on him for everything.” She said it was not the first time they had been robbed.Another disappointing matter for the family is how the police have treated the case.
They feel not everything is done in the correct manner. For instance, the young brother was to be counselled but that has not been done. The same police ordered the family to not clean the blood off the floor but when the officers had not returned after three days the family had cleaned it. “My son (younger one) is still traumatised. One day he came rushing in, saying he has seen the robbers. But who knows if that was true or he was just hallucinating out of trauma? We are disappointed,” said the mother.Whether Magwaca’s career is a step closer to the end or not, he is grateful for one thing, and that thing is life.
He said he is happy to still be alive. Khayelitsha police station spokesperson Captain Marcellus Rajap said no one has been arrested. He also denied knowing about the counselling for Someleze. He said he would not comment on that issue because it does not fall under his department.
