A mom from Hanover Park who risked life and limb to save a three-year-old laaitie in a gang shooting has appealed to Capetonians to help her get back on her feet as she raises funds for a prosthetic leg.
Nearly two years after the shooting in Silica Walk which left four people injured, Rushana Theunissen, 43, says she is trapped like a prisoner in her home while the gunmen roam freely.
During the shooting on 16 October 2022 witnesses explained that the vrou threw herself over a little boy as skote klapped. He was struck in the arm while Rushana was rushed to Groote Schuur Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.
Bullets ripped through her bladder, kidneys and right leg, severing arteries and doctors had to amputate the leg in order to save her life.
The mom of four says: "My life has become a living hell. The recovery was painful and just getting basic things done was impossible. I could not work and so I have no income and to do anything even just to get out of the house.“
At Groote Schuur she was told she was not deemed suitable for a prosthetic leg but following a private consultation she heard there were options.
“Years ago before the shooting I tore a ligament in the left leg and this made me unsuitable. I went to a prosthetic clinic in Pinelands where they said it was possible but that a leg would cost me R160 000. For me that is like R1.6 million with no resources. I live in a small wendy house where the wheelchair cant even fit inside. I have to place a gas stove on my bed just so I can cook for my children.
“Those gangsters didn’t kill me but they took away my life. I would appreciate any help to get back on my feet.”