11-month-old boy fatally shot after being caught in crossfire between suspected rival gangs

An 11-month-old baby boy was caught in the crossfire between suspected rival gangs in Windmill Park, reports Boksburg Advertiser.

The incident happened around noon on January 2.

Succumbing to the gunshot wounds, Siyabonga Buthelezi, who would have turned a year old on January 9, died in hospital on January 3.

According to his grandmother, Bernadette Lange, Siyabonga, who lived with his mother and father in Natalspruit, was with her sister at her next-door neighbour’s house when the shooting started.

Lange said about 30 shots went off and she lay flat on the ground inside her house.

“While I was lying down, my 12-year-old granddaughter rushed back home carrying Siyabonga. When she entered the yard one of the stray bullets hit Siyabonga on the upper body.

“My granddaughter came running into the house screaming they had shot him. When I checked him, I didn’t see blood as he was busy crawling as normal.

“When I assessed him I then saw that indeed Siya was shot. I was so confused, I remember screaming and one of my neighbours came out and she phoned the ambulance,” she said.

Lange said due to her previous experiences regarding the ambulances’ response time, she decided to phone her sister, who arrived with her husband and they took them to Tambo Memorial Hospital.

“On arrival at the hospital, Siya was attended to and was transferred to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital. The following day, we got a call from the hospital alerting us that he had passed away,” Lange said.

Lange’s neighbour Luzane Badenhorst said when the shooting began, she was sitting in her yard.

“Everything happened so quickly that it left us confused. I was the one who came out and phoned the ambulance, but after a few minutes I had to call the operator to cancel the ambulance because Lange decided to use a private vehicle to take the child to hospital,” Badenhorst said.

Siyabonga’s grandmother, Bernadette Lange, points at the spot where Siyabonga was shot.

Siyabonga’s devastated mother, Uzelle Maine, couldn’t hold back her tears while speaking to the Boksburg Advertiser at her mother’s house on January 6.

Maine said her baby boy was her friend.

“He was a sweet child who I had bonded with so much and now knowing that I won’t see him again breaks my heart. He had started saying names like ‘mama’ and ‘papa’. He also loved to play,” Maine said.

Siyabonga’s father, Schoeman Buthelezi, said his child was an innocent gift from God and now that gift had been taken away from him.

“I am shattered, I don’t even have words to describe how I feel. My son’s death came as a surprise and shock because we never thought something like this would happen. We don’t even have money to bury Siya because we spent all the money during the holidays,” Buthelezi said.

Buthelezi said they don’t have money for mortuary, food and other expenses for the funeral.

“We appeal for help from anyone who would like to assist us bury my son and we would welcome any help from any funeral parlours, bus companies and food stores,” he said.

Dawn Park SAPS spokesperson Const Nkemeleng Mabula said it was alleged that two men came out of a white Polo vehicle and started shooting at a man who was walking on foot.

“A shootout ensued between the three men and unfortunately an 11-month-old baby who was being carried by her sister got shot. Two of the men managed to flee the scene, but the police managed to arrest the suspect who was walking on foot,” she said.”

Mabula said the suspect was shot in the leg. She could not confirm if the shootout was gang-related.

“The suspect was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder. He appeared in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on January 6,” Mabula said.

The Buthelezi family from Windmill Park needs help from the public to bury their 11-month-old son, who was shot in the crossfire between suspected rival gangs in Windmill Park on January 2. From left: Bernadette Lange (grandmother), Uzelle Maine (mother) and Schoeman Buthelezi (father).

Donations needed

Anyone who can assist may contact the family on 084 236 4456 or 074 575 8812, or Leon Rooi on 079 984 5044.

On January 5, the community of Windmill Park mobilised themselves and went to Lange’s house where candles were lit to pay their respects.

The community called for the Minister of Police Bheki Cele to immediately intervene to prevent ongoing gang-related violence in the area.

Community leader Leon Rooi from the Windmill Park Greater Civic Association said: “We are sad as a community about what happened to the young innocent child who’s been robbed of his life. Similar incidents have occurred in the past in our area.

“We can’t live in such conditions. If criminals want to fight each other, they should go somewhere where there are no people because in the end, people get affected,” Rooi said.

Rooi said criminals are also taking advantage of their area because there is no visible policing.

He urged the Dawn Park SAPS to do something about rival gangs in the area before another family loses their loved ones.

The police have launched a manhunt for the two unknown suspects who fled the scene.

The police are urging anyone with information to call the Dawn Park SAPS on 011 862 8000.

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