A seven-year-old boy is in a coma after skollies shot him in the face over the Easter weekend.
Doctors have not been able to remove the bullet lodged in little Riaz Cloete’s head because of the swelling.
Worried Manenberg residents are praying for the boy’s recovery.
The boy’s family was at the hospital on Monday and their neighbour Sadia Naidoo, 74, says: “He is in an induced coma so the swelling can go down first before the operation.
“He was awake when he was taken to the hospital, he wasn’t talking but his eyes had movement.
“I stood over him and started praying while waiting for the car which took him to the hospital.”
She says Riaz was playing with his friends when he was hit on Saturday afternoon.
The shooter was reportedly trying to shoot a man who was walking in Sonderend Road near where the kids were.
"I was watching the children play in front of my house and I went inside just for a few minutes,“ adds Sadia.
“I heard gunshots going off and I ran down the stairs and when I got outside I saw the children were on the ground.
"I noticed Riaz was not getting up, he was lying face down with blood coming from his face.”
Sadia says when she turned the boy over, she saw the bullet hole in his forehead.
"I moved him because I didn't want him to drown in his own blood,” she explains.
“He was still breathing, another neighbour rushed the boy to Heideveld but he was transferred to Red Cross Hospital.”
Sadia tells the Daily Voice residents have been living in fear for the past four months.
“The fact that the children went to lie on the ground when they started shooting is proof enough that this has been happening for too long,” Sadia says.
“The problem is that innocent people are injured every time there are such incidents.”
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk has confirmed the incident and says they are investigating a case of attempted murder.
Anyone with information regarding this shooting incident is kindly requested to contact Manenberg SAPS on 021 699 9400 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za