At just 29 years old, Livhuwani Munzhelele had dreams of building a better life for himself and his family. Born and raised in the quiet village of Malale, Limpopo, he moved to Gauteng like so many young South Africans in search of opportunities. But on January 25, 2024, that dream was violently ripped away.
What started as an ordinary evening turned into a nightmare. While walking to buy airtime in Tshepisong, Soweto, Livhuwani was ambushed by a gang of eight men. They robbed him of his last R50 and then, with cold-blooded cruelty, they ordered him to run.
He obeyed, but within seconds, the sharp crack of gunfire filled the air. A bullet tore through his body, and his legs gave out beneath him. As he lay helpless on the pavement, one of the attackers stood over him.
“Why are you doing this to me?” Livhuwani pleaded. The response was another gunshot. And then another. And another. In total, six bullets were fired into his body. The young men, mere teenagers, cheered as they walked away, one of them boasting, “You’re now a man.”
A Fight for Survival
Livhuwani’s injuries were catastrophic. The bullets had shattered bones, punctured organs, and left him deformed. He spent eight long months in the hospital, enduring excruciating pain and neglect.
“I could smell myself,” he recalls, his voice trembling. “The nurses wouldn’t even enter my room. My bandages were rotting. When I complained, they told me to email management.”
For weeks, he lay helpless, barely able to move. When the doctors finally spoke to him, they delivered another devastating blow: they could only save one of his legs.
A System That Failed Him
Despite the severity of his injuries, Livhuwani feel he was failed at every turn, by the hospital that neglected him, by the authorities that have yet to bring his attackers to justice, and by a healthcare system that has left him abandoned.
His case is one of many in an overwhelmed and underfunded public health system. Gauteng DA Shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom, acknowledges the grim reality:
“Leratong Hospital faces severe challenges, from understaffing to broken equipment. Unfortunately, people like Livhuwani fall through the cracks.”
Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi has promised to review Livhuwani’s case. But for him, time is running out. Every day without the right medical care brings him closer to permanent disability.
The Fight for Justice and Hope
To this day, the teenager who shot Livhuwani, no older than 16 or 17 remains free.
“We don’t even know what to do anymore,” says Elvis, his twin brother. “We don’t have the strength to keep calling the hospital, the police, or anyone else who should be helping him.”
Meanwhile, Livhuwani endures relentless pain, entirely dependent on his family for even the most basic needs. He often feels like a burden, trapped inside a body that no longer allows him to live the life he once dreamed of.
“I sometimes pray for God to take me,” he confesses. “I can’t do anything for myself. But deep inside, there’s a small voice that tells me not to give up, that my story is not over, that help is out there. I just need someone to believe in me, to help me take that step toward hope and healing. I can’t do it alone.”