Lionel John Sham

Father Lionel Sham (1943 - 2009)

Brief overview:

Father Sham (65), the parish priest of Mohlakeng, Randfontein in Johannesburg Archdiocese, was killed on Saturday 7th March 2009, hours after being abducted from his home.

He was severely beaten and his face tightly wrapped in duct tape, his feet tied and his hands tied between his legs. He died of suffocation and subdural haemorrhage. His body was body was found in an open veld in Orange Farm, a sprawling informal settlement south of Johannesburg. near De Deur.

Father Sham, was last seen alive on Friday night at his church in Mohlakeng, West Rand.

Parishioners discovered that Sham’s car was missing on Saturday morning when they went to look for him.

They found blood and a knife in the priest’s bathroom but no evidence of forced entry.

Later that morning, Sham’s car was found crashed in Deneysville, near Vereeniging. A man police believe took part in the murder was dead in the white Toyota Corolla.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
  • Lionel Sham was born 23 May 1943 of Keralla (Kay) and Janie (nee Boles) in Johannesburg. He had 2 Brothers (Peter and Reggie) and 1 sister (Vicky).
• Funeral/Memorial

On Sunday congregants, wearing T-shirts with the priest's face, and members of the public sat in the gallery while about 16 priests on the podium led the proceedings.

Among the dignitaries who were at the memorial service were Khabisi Mosunkutu, Gauteng MEC for Agriculture, Conservation and the Environment - who represented the office of the premier - and Sophia Williams de Bruyn, the legislature's deputy Speaker.

Sham's bereaved family sat in the front row listening as speaker after speaker spoke about the life of Sham and praised the man who gave his life to the service of God for many years. He was also remembered as a man who walked, lived and became an example of the teachings of Christianity.

• Memorial Services:
  • Wednesday 11 March 2009 St John Vianney Seminary, 179 Main Street Waterkloof.
  • Sunday 15 March 2009 Our Lady of Africa Catholic Church.
  • Monday 16 March 2009 Catholic Cathedral of Christ the King, cnr Saratoga & End street.Doornfontein
  • Monday 16 March 2009 Maronite Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon. Western Service Rd, Wendywood
• Funeral Service:
  • Tuesday 17 March 2009, Catholic Cathedral of Christ the King. cnr. Saratoga and End Street. Doornfontein. Office of the Dead
  • Requiem Mass Prior to Private Cremation.
  • One week Mass: Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon 22 March 2009.
• The Street/Suburb
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)
  • Fr. Sham's death follows that of Fr Daniel Matsela Mahula, from Klerksdorp Diocese, on February 27. Fr Mahula was killed while driving his car by four hitch-hikers. A young priest, born on June 6, 1975, and ordained on December 22, 2002, he ministered at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Jouberton at the time of his death.

Attack Details:

• Date and time of attack
• Weapons
• Items Stolen
  • Church caretakers found his car, a TV, DVD player, laptop and computer hard-drive were missing and his bedroom bloodstained when they went to investigate at his home on Saturday.
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions
• Arrests
• Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
  • Velaphi Malgas (37)
• Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
• Trial/Conviction
  • Malgas was found guilty of robbing, kidnapping and murdering the Randfontein priest.

Additional Biographical Information:

Father Sham worked at Boys Town, in various parishes, as administrator of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg, rector of the Orientation Seminary in Welkom, secretary of the seminary department of the Bishops' Conference, vocation director and vicar general.

The French language newspaper, L'Orient Le Jour, report in its Saturday's edition is reproduced below.

Un prêtre maronite de la famille Cham, relevant de la paroisse libanaise à Johannesburg, en Afrique du Sud, a été enlevé et tué par des malfaiteurs qui ont volé sa voiture. Originaire de Sebaal au Liban-Sud, le prêtre a été étranglé et jeté dans un champ abandonné. Les malfaiteurs, qui se sont enfuis à bord du véhicule cambriolé, ont eu un accident en cours de route qui a provoqué le décès du chauffeur. C'est ainsi que la police a pu retrouver les coupables et interroger le survivant qui a avoué son crime. Cette affaire a suscité la révolte et le mécontentement de la communauté libanaise et de l'Église maronite, le curé en question étant connu pour son engagement social auprès des déshérités et pour ses actes de bienfaisance en faveur notamment des enfants pauvres et des orphelins.

English Google translation

A priest of the Maronite family Sham, within the parish Lebanese in Johannesburg, South Africa, was kidnapped and killed by robbers who stole his car. Originally from Sebaal in southern Lebanon, the priest was strangled and thrown in an abandoned field. The criminals, who fled in a vehicle burglary, had an accident while driving that caused the death of the driver. Thus the police have found the culprits and ask the survivor who has confessed his crime. The case has sparked the revolt and discontent of the community and the Lebanese Maronite Church, the priest in question is known for its social commitment to the poor and for his acts of charity, in particular for the poor children and orphans.

Links to Media articles:

• https://archive.ph/01Jjy
• https://archive.ph/drko1
• https://archive.ph/466GR
• https://archive.ph/8GiAV