A Mitchells Plain family is mourning the loss of their seven-year-old son who was tragically killed when skollies allegedly opened fire on a group of laaities on Tuesday night.
The heartbroken parents of Zubair Jacobs, 7, say his death comes just months after three of his older brothers were shot and injured while sitting in a parked car in Kameel Street, Eastridge.
Shocked residents gathered at the crime scene and consoled Zubair’s heartbroken parents while the Grade 1 pupil from Littlewood Primary School lay in the street covered with a blanket.
Devastated dad Junaid, 45, says he was making his way home when he received the fateful call, explaining to the Daily Voice: “It happened just after 6pm. I was on my way home from work when they told me Zubair was shot.
“There was also another person shot and we can not say it was a stray bullet, because we were told that they saw the group of children playing in the street and just shot at them.
“Zubair was standing near the gate of our house when he was shot and that is where he fell and they declared him dead. We are heartbroken.
Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, confirms the shooting and says no arrests have been made yet.
In a statement, he says: “Circumstances surrounding a shooting incident in Kameel Street, Eastridge, Mitchells Plain, where two males aged seven and 20 were shot and fatally wounded are under investigation.
Two counts of murder were registered for investigation. The motive is unknown and the suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested.
Mom Mareldia, 45, revealed Zubair’s siblings are struggling to accept his death and are still traumatised after they too were shot last year.
She says: “Zubair is one of eight children but last year his older brothers were shot for just sitting in their father’s car.
“Waseem, 26, was shot six times and Tashreeq, 18, and Shukri, 13, were also injured.
“They are traumatised and are grieving the loss of their baby brother.
“They [the killers] do not even care who they shoot and, as a family, we have already had three innocent children shot and now our baby has been killed.
“Zubair loved telling stories [to his family] and he enjoyed making up stories that he would tell his friends at school.
“He was a very talkative child.”
dailyvoice@inl.co.za