One of the two women who were ambushed in Protea Glen, Soweto, last week has succumbed to her injuries while in hospital.
Messina Moremi,27, died on Saturday while she was still on life support after being shot twice in the head on the night of November 7 while she had gone out to celebrate her successful job interview with her friend, Promise Gadebe.
Messina’s death has brought a new hurdle to the police investigation into the case as there were hopes that she’d recover and help the police to identify and trace their attackers.
The doctor told me my child was shot twice in the head and that the bullets had damaged her brain from both sides
— Thelma Moremi, Messina’s mother
Gadebe’s body was found in an open veld the following day, while Messina lay next to her, still breathing. She was rushed to hospital.
Messina’s mother, Thelma Moremi, previously told Sowetan that doctors warned the family that her chances of survival were extremely slim.
“The doctor told me my child was shot twice in the head and that the bullets had damaged her brain from both sides. He said it would be a miracle if she made it to Saturday,” Thelma recalled.
Neighbour Zoe Majola said the community had been hoping that Messina would survive.
“We were hoping that Messina was going to recover and bring closure to her family by pointing out the people who did this to them. As a community, we are torn apart,” Majola said.
She added that the continued killing of young women has left residents exhausted and fearful.
“It’s enough. We have had enough of the killings of these young women. The community is broken.”
According to Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Mavela Masondo, there are no new developments in the investigation at this stage, and the perpetrators are still at large.
Sowetan