WHEELCHAIR UNDER FIRE!
28/11/2014 14:30WHEELCHAIR UNDER FIRE!
By Taswell Alexander
It was after ten on a very cold Thursday evening on the 23rd October 2014 after the conclusion of a memorial church service at our Bonteheuwel Methodist Church. Edwina and I did not accept an offer for a ride home, because we needed to go find a Spaza shop that was still open. My nephew, Jean Marcel, walked with me and my wife, Edwina, and fortunately we found a shop that was still open for business in Blue Gum street. This is a street that I am very familiar with because I grew up in this street and lived here up until seven months ago when my wife and I moved to a new address, however, my family still lives in Blue Gum street.
Jean and I waited on the pavement while Edwina went across the road to the shop. While we were waiting in the blistering cold of the night Jean drew my attention to the trees opposite my family home, trees which are in front of a church….Jean was sure that he saw a human figure standing next to one of the three large trees, but unfortunately even I with my good eyesight, could not see anything! And yet he persisted three times that he can see someone by the tree. When Edwina finished up at the shop after about ten long minutes we moved in the direction of my family home and the church and as we came nearer there was no one by the trees. As we got to the corner of Blue Gum and Honeysuckle streets we greeted each other a good night and Jean went into the house and Edwina and I continued down Honeysuckle street, because the two of us still had quite some distance to cover before we reached our home.
We may have covered fifty meters when Edwina caught a movement in the corner of her eye and as she turned around to look it was with horror in her voice when she yelled at me that someone is running towards us with a gun in his hands! I did not even have time to turn my wheelchair around to have a look when the gunman fired off his first shot!
BLESSED ASSURANCE…JESUS IS MINE! The first shot missed us by inches…then his firearm fell out of his hand. He picked up his gun and fired off a second round at us, but the recoil of the firearm must have violently pulled his hands upwards, because the second bullet was fired above my head into the tree in front of me. All the while Edwina and I were desperately trying to get away from our attacker, but my motorized wheelchair’s batteries were not recharged to full capacity and I struggled to move with speed! She’s running in front of me and screaming at me to ride faster and I’m yelling at her to leave me and run, but my precious wife, although she found herself in a very unfamiliar and extremely life-threatening situation, yelled back at me…”I will not leave you…I will not leave you!”
While we were frantically trying to get away from our pursuing would-be killer she prayed in tongues and I also prayed loudly Psalm 91 over us. The most horrible issue in the midst of that situation was that there was nowhere to run to…most of the houses’ lights were already off and these houses were secured with high fences and locked gates. Suddenly two vehicles came driving down the road and I guess the shooter was distracted and turned back. When we turned into Jakkalsvlei Avenue we still did not know whether we were safe and we were still a long way from home. Edwina ran into the Police station to inform the police officers on duty of the incident, but then we continued on our way. We turned into Elder street and immediately into Kameeldoring street and we were still very concerned that the gunman might cross a field and cut us off at the other end of Kameeldoring and so Edwina even asked me to switch off battery power and then she pushed the wheelchair. After we passed the danger point without incident I switched on power again.
Edwina called Jean Marcel that someone had just shot at me, but unfortunately Jean heard the message wrong and immediately shouted at my brother, yelling…”Someone had just shot uncle Taswell!” When we eventually arrived home, both Edwina and I were in a state of emotional turmoil because of this traumatic experience and about five minutes after that Jean, my sister-in-law and two of their neighbors arrived and shortly after four Police officers arrived and then my brother. Everyone was wide-eyed with shock and horror at what had happened and Jean and Janine, my sister-in-law, asked to lift up my shirt and jacket to see if there were any gunshot wounds on my body….but PRAISE THE LORD….there were none!
This is the second time that someone shot at me in the wheelchair. I still do not know who shot at me and Edwina, but I believe it might have something to do with my ministry as a Peace Negotiator working for peace amongst the gangs in Bonteheuwel. I am happy to testify that GOD’s angels that move with me threw the gunman’s gun out of his hands and my angels most probably jammed his weapon after he fired off a second round!
People have been asking questions about whether I was put on the hit list because I am an ex-leader of the Ugly American gang, but I said to them that is not true! The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Roman church taught this beautiful teaching….
(Rom 8:1) There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
(Rom 8:2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
As you can see the Bible teaches that I cannot be condemned for any past affiliation to the American gang. The Spirit of Jesus Christ set me free from every law of the Ugly Americans and every law of the gangster!