Boy, 11, caught near Cape Town school with gun in hand

An 11-year-old boy, alleged to possibly have been sent to attack a pupil at a Cravenby Estate school, was arrested by City of Cape Town law enforcement officers on Tuesday with a gun in his possession.

Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said officers were driving through the area when they were flagged down by a member of the public who raised the alarm.

“They searched the area and found the boy next to a school in the area, firearm in hand,” Smith said.

“The details around the case are yet to be determined, but there are allegations that the child was sent to attack another child at the school, and threatened a teacher in the process.

“This is deeply disturbing, and we hope that the appropriate social services interventions can take place to put this young boy on a different path.”

Smith urged police to investigate and “find whoever was responsible for putting a firearm in the hands of this minor”.

Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk confirmed the arrest for possession of an unlicensed firearm.

According to him, the boy was 13 years old.

Meanwhile, the Western Cape government on Tuesday confirmed that 41 murders had been recorded in Cape Town this past weekend, with knives and sharp instruments overtaking guns as the weapon of choice.

Of the 41 cases, 16 of the deaths were gunshots, 19 stabbings and six as a result of other circumstances.

The latest figure shows a decrease from the 46 murders over the previous weekend.

According to the Western Cape health department, provincial data shows there has been a significant increase in patients arriving at specialised hospitals’ emergency units with gunshot injuries.

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