The daughter of slain 28s gang boss, Ernie “Lastig” Solomons has broken her silence about thug life in a series of hard-hitting social media videos.
Crystal Fiver, from Hawston, now residing in Cape Town, says she has had to change her entire lifestyle and physical appearance after her infamous dad and his friend were killed in Johannesburg on 20 November 2020.
Crystal, 25, and her daughter, who was a year old at the time, were badly injured in the drive-by hit.
Crystal’s daughter was shot twice in the stomach and once in the leg.
Speaking to the Daily Voice about that fateful day, she says Brandon Damonse was shot 20 times and died in hospital while her 62-year-old father who was shot about 30 times, died at the scene.
“I hail Brandon a hero, he shielded my daughter from the shots and leaned over her to protect her.
“The bullets that got her came through him,” says Crystal.
“The man who shot me looked me in my face and shot me. I saw the two shots to my father’s neck.
“My dad was driving, Brandon sat in front with my daughter, I sat at the back and when they drove us off the road.
“I tried opening my door and getting out but I shouted at my dad to drive because the attackers threw some kind of smoke bombs at us.
“My dad continued to drive and his last words were ‘is die nie ’n trap nie?’ and then he was shot.
“I got out of the car and back in, by that time I was shot in both my knees, the attacker came up to me and shot further.
“According to police, we were being watched for a week already in Johannesburg.”
She says while their BMW was bulletproof, the shooters aimed for the roof – the part that wasn’t reinforced.
Crystal spent three months in hospital where she started sharing her near-death experience on TikTok, and speaks about growing up with a gang boss father.
“The main reason for me making the videos is to raise awareness about the effects that gangsterism has on families,” she says.
“In one video, I said ‘if you are a gangster, there is already a bullet with your name on it and if it doesn't reach you, it will reach your family’.
“My father always said, ‘gangsterism sal jou twee plekke vat, tronk toe of dood’, but they don’t say that gangsterism can also hurt others.”
The young mom adds the shooting also changed her physically: “I have ugly wounds, my physical appearance took a toll.”
She was shot through her right hand, arm and stomach while her leg was nearly amputated.
The tattoo artist is now learning how to use her right hand to continue working.
Crystal reveals that just like her daughter, she was also a year old when she was first shot.
By the age of 25, she’d been shot 28 times.
She adds that her father has at least 25 children – that she knows off – and 25 grandkids.
Follow Crystal Fivers on TikTok to view her videos.
venecia.america@inl.co.za