Young boy shot during protest
He was taken to hospital and surgery was performed from Tuesday until the early hours of Wednesday, according to his mother
What started as a protest by community members of Hlalanikahle in KwaGuqa Extension over electricity cut-offs and water shortages ended up with some members of the community being shot allegedly by the police and others being arrested.
Young Ntokozo Mabena (14) was a casualty of being found in a wrong place at a wrong time. Ntokozo, a Grade eight pupil was on Tuesday, March 10 walking from Phase 2 in Hlalanikahle after visiting his granny and was walking to KwaGuqa Extension 10 when he found himself in the crossfire.
As he was about to cross a four-way-stop, he heard gunshots only to find that he has been shot.
The people were protesting on the road closing the street with burning tyres and other debris; he decided to sit down.
“My aunt came along and saw that my hands were covered with blood and asked me to go back to my grannies house. My mother after seeing that I was shot called other members of the family to organise transport for me to take me to hospital. I was feeling weak and was bleeding,” explained Ntokozo.
He was taken to hospital and surgery was performed from Tuesday until the early hours of Wednesday, according to his mother, Ms Salina Ngwenyama.
Who added to say that they were shocked and puzzled as to why the police shot a schoolboy who was not part of the protest.
The doctors told the family that he was shot in his stomach and the shot went through his back and he had internal injuries.
“I don’t think the police were using rubber bullets to disperse the protesting crowd considering the extent of the injuries on my child. The police are supposed to protect us, not to shoot at innocent young children,” Ms Ngwenyama said.
The protesters said the municipality cannot cut their electricity while service is poor at eMalahleni and they were without water for several months and no answers are provided only to have their electricity being cut off.
The protesters blocked the streets with burning tyres when police allegedly shot some with rubber bullets to disperse them while others were arrested and charged for public violence and appeared in court.
Some of the protesters alleged that the police were using iron bullets to shot them, not rubber bullets and were prevented from opening cases at Vosman Police Station.
Colonel Moses Maepa acting Station Commander of Vosman Police Station said any community member is welcomed to open a case at the station.
He said police used only rubber bullets to disperse the crowd who were protesting.
“Community members must report any police officers who do not treat them well and are preventing them to open cases at the station. My office door is always open. As police we are always there to assist community members while at the same time we need to keep law and order,” said Col Maepa.
