Carlo Petersen
BOKMAKIERIE had been “quiet” for two years before six-year-old Saadiqah Lipperd was killed in gang crossfire on Monday night.
The little girl was screaming in pain after being shot in the stomach when her grandmother, Kamiela Lipperd, found her lying on the pavement in a pool of blood outside their 9th Avenue home.
When Lipperd, 50, heard the first gunshot at about 7.20pm, she thought it was a fire cracker, but after the third shot went off she ran outside.
“I knew Saadiqah was playing outside. It was a holiday so all the children were out. When I came outside, I saw her body lying there in front of the gate.
“I came closer and she looked at me and said ‘Mama’. Then she closed her eyes,” Lipperd said.
Saadiqah was rushed to Groote Schuur Hospital, where she died later that night.
“She was such a lovely child. She stole the hearts of all the neighbours and everybody loved her. I don’t understand why they had to shoot here. It’s been quiet here for two years.
“If they want to kill each other, they should just go out on to a field and shoot each other. No child should have to die like this,” Lipperd said.
Resident Rashieda Klasien, 54, said she witnessed the shooting.
“Two guys came running through the fence by the canal and just started shooting down the road. There were children playing in the road. No one understands why they shot here. They weren’t aiming at anyone.”
Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said a case of murder was being investigated.
“Police attended to a shooting incident at the address and found a six-year-old girl with a gunshot wound to her body. The child later died in hospital,” Rwexana said.
Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said there was a desperate need for all three spheres of government to come together with community leaders to tackle gangsterism once and for all. “There are lots of talk about the need for extra policing, which is quite relevant, but more needs to be done to address the root of the problem.
“Obviously the programmes currently in place are not working if we still have little children being mowed down while being caught in the middle of gang fights. This is exactly the thing we want to prevent from happening.”
Plato said he felt “very, very sad” about Saadiqah’s death.
“It could have been my child. It is such a tragedy because that little girl was still a child. It just shows you the lawlessness of our society.
“My deepest condolences to the family. The community will have to come together and stand firm as they join forces with police and government to make every attempt to get to the bottom of this violence.”
Asked what his department was doing to address gangsterism in Bokmakierie, Plato replied: “We have lots of programmes to keep the children off the streets, but I think it is time for me to visit Bokmakierie again to inspect the area.”
Gangsterism Must Fall convener Roscoe Jacobs said it was frustrating to continuously hear about incidents where innocent lives were lost due to gang violence.
The Manenberg Safety Forum, Ses’Khona People’s Rights Movement and Voice of Parkwood joined Jacobs in launching the community-based campaign to curb gangsterism on Monday.