Tzaneen, 13 March, 2024 / 9:40 pm (ACI Africa).
A member of the St. Patrick’s Missionary Society (Kiltegan Fathers) serving in the Catholic Diocese of Tzaneen in South Africa was shot dead while preparing to celebrate Holy Mass the morning of Wednesday, March 13.
Fr. William Banda was reportedly murdered by a “well-dressed man” in the sacristy of the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tzaneen Diocese.
According to South Africa’s Far North Bulletin, Fr. Banda was in the Church praying when his killer walked in and sat next to him before accompanying the Religious missionary Priest to the sacristy where he murdered him.
“Fr. Banda was conducting morning prayers. Parishioners were entering the Church in anticipation of the morning Mass ... Some of the regulars had already entered the building when one of them noticed a stranger they had never seen before; he was apparently a very well-dressed African man they had never seen before, who walked straight to Fr Banda and sat next to him,” Far North Bulletin reported.
A reporter of the news agency says, “When Fr. Banda had completed his morning prayer, he stood up to go and ready himself at the sacristy for the morning Mass ... The man also got up and escorted Fr. Banda by the elbow to the sacristy.”
