Zambian missionary murdered in South Africa

Father William Banda

Source: Fides

A Zambian priest was shot dead on Wednesday, 13 March, in South Africa. Father William Banda of the St Patrick's Society for Foreign Missions (Kiltegan Fathers) was shot dead as he prepared to celebrate Holy Mass at Tzaneen Cathedral in Tzaneen, north South Africa.

According to testimony, Father Banda was leading prayers before the 8am Mass when an unknown, very well-dressed African man entered the church, walked up to the priest and sat next to him.

After praying the rosary, Father Banda went to the sacristy to prepare to celebrate morning Mass. The stranger accompanied the priest into the sacristy. The man pulled a gun from his pocket and shot Father Banda in the back of the head. The murderer then made his way towards the exit of the church, but when he reached the door, he turned around, approached the priest's body and fired a second shot in his head.

Once he left the church, witnesses report that the murderer jumped into a car that was waiting for him, and fled at full speed.

The murder of the Catholic priest follows that of three Orthodox monks the day before, March 12, in the monastery of St Mark and St. Bishop Samuel the Confessor, in Cullinan, about 30km east of Pretoria. In a statement, the Coptic Orthodox Church said the monks shot were diocesan vicar Fr Takla El-Samouili, Fr Youstos Ava-Markos and Fr Mina Ava-Markostre. (See: South Africa: Three Coptic monks killed Mar 14th, 2024 www.indcatholicnews.com/news/49337)