Father of slain 12-year-old Aaliyah ‘Angel’ Tee — who has been paralysed, has had both his legs amputated and uses a wheelchair since the shooting incident which claimed the life of his daughter — testified in the Port Elizabeth High Court on Friday.
Edmund Tee wearing a bulletproof vest testified in the murder trial on the shooting at their Bethelsdorp home in Port Elizabeth last year.
According to the State, Angel was murdered in June last year when gunmen, posing as police, forced their way into the family’s home.
Nealon Redhouse, 18, and Deon Harmse, 24, are charged with murder and the attempted murder of Angel’s mother Candice and father, Edmund, who was wounded in the attack.
Candice previously told the court that a month before her daughter was killed she had witnessed a deadly shooting of a notorious Port Elizabeth gangster, Donovan Staal Berry.
Berry was affiliated to the Spotbouers gang, the same gang Redhouse and Harmse are believed to belong to.
Subsequent to Berry’s shooting rumours were flying thick and fast that the Tee’s were being targeted, the court heard.
Edmund Tee told the court that he was shot through his neck and upper body but could identify the gunmen. He said when he was shot, he was fully conscious.
He testified that while he tried to push the door closed Redhouse and Harmse kicked down his backdoor to gain entry into his home.
Tee said that he knew exactly who shot at him and it was Redhouse, adding that both the men had firearms.
He demonstrated how Redhouse and Harmse both stood with guns pointing it in his direction.
He continued that he saw a left hand holding a gun protruding through the back door, he heard a bang and he fell backwards.
“When they kicked down the back door, I lost my balance and fell into a box. When they kicked the door, the left hand came through, a [gun] went off and that’s when I became lame.”
He described the panic and fear he endured when the gunmen started kicking down the door.
He said he recognised the voice that said: “Sorry uncle it’s your turn.”
Defence attorney James Riley asked: “If you recognised the voice why didn’t you ask him, Kwas [Harmse] what do you want?”
Tee responded saying: “I didn’t think of asking questions. I was panic-stricken my door was being kicked. I feared for the safety of my wife, children and the fact they can get in.”
Tee said that he had only discovered a few days after the shooting — when he regained consciousness at hospital — that his daughter had died.
“I asked my brother where Aaliyah is and he told me she passed away,” he said.
Since the shooting incident, the Tee family have uprooted their lives, left the community they knew and entered the National Prosecuting Authority's witness protection programme.
Tee said that he knew Redhouse very well because he grew up as a child in front of him. They were next door neighbours and Redhouse used to play with his Tee’s son.
The trial continues on Wednesday.
– African News Agency (ANA)
