Model and actor Nkanyiso Cele was shot and killed outside his rented room shortly after he was embroiled in a fight with four men who insisted on calling him "istabane". The incident took place at a local tavern in Umthwalume, south of Durban in KwaZulu Natal last week Friday. It’s alleged that after the fight, the men followed Nkanyiso to his place where they waited for loadshedding to kick in before shooting and killing him.

BEING CALLED DEROGATORY NAMES

Nkanyiso’s sister Aphiwe told ZiMoja that her brother was not gay but that he took good care of himself and locals thought he was gay. "He was a model, so he made sure he always looked and smelled good, a lot of people mistook this for being gay which was still not a problem even if he was," Aphiwe said. She said that on the day he was murdered, Nkanyiso went to a local tavern to buy alcohol and a group of young men started provoking him, calling him istabane. "He didn’t like it and told them not to call him by that name," Aphiwe said, adding that when the men insisted he was gay, there was a scuffle where blows were exchanged but he managed to buy his beer and went back to his place. "We were told that Nkanyiso went to his room and during loadshedding on the same night, the men came back for him. People heard gunshots and Nkanyiso was later found dead in his rented room," she said.

CLOSURE

Aphiwe said that all they want is closure on what really happened on the night Nkanyiso was murdered. "We have every reason to believe that my brother was killed by those guys he fought with for calling him gay. My brother died for nothing, he was not gay, even on the day he was killed, he was chilling with his friends and their girlfriends. Even if he was gay, why does it matter if anyone is gay or not? We want justice for Nkanyiso. The people who killed must be brought to book. People are scared to talk as to who killed him even though they witnessed the fight. They shot him and continued beating him because we found him with bruises on his face that showed that they assaulted him," she said. Nkanyiso was a final-year student at Unisa where he was doing Agricultural Development studies. KZN SAPS spokesperson Robert Netshiunda said Hibberdene police are investigating a case of murder of a 27-year-old man which occurred at Mfazazane, Mtwalume on 26 May 2023. "It is alleged that the victim’s body was found lying next to the entrance of his rented residence. Reports indicate that the victim succumbed to severe gunshot wounds and was declared dead on the scene," Netshiunda said.