Cape Town - A Cape Town mother has warned parents to keep an eye on their children ahead of Guy Fawkes Day (Monday) after her 19-month-old toddler was hit in the face by a firecracker thrown by other children.
Widaad Benjamin, from Lentegeur, said her son ‘Rizah’ was standing in the doorway of their home, watching other children play in the street when two boys, aged about 13, cycled past him and threw a burning firecraker at him.
Benjamin said the incident happened on Sunday afternoon.
She said she found her son crying: “He was so traumatised. He cried the whole night on Sunday and wouldn’t sleep on Monday, either. He had a swollen cheek and developed a blood clot in his ear.”
She said the swelling on Rizah’s cheek had subsided and his ear was healing. But she was upset that the children’s parents did not take responsibility for what happened.
“Those children were about 13 years old. Where would they have got the money to buy firecrackers? The attitude from the parents was very disheartening… by refusing to take responsibility, they were teaching their children that it was okay to do this.”
Although it is illegal for children under 16 to use or buy fireworks, the Cape Argus reported last month that children as young as six were buying firecrackers from shops in Belhar.
Meanwhile, animal welfare organisations have also warned residents to be considerate to animals during fireworks displays because the sound from fireworks is at least seven times louder to our furry friends.
Cape of Good Hope SPCA inspectorate manager Moyo Ndukwana said no fatalities were reported during last year’s celebrations: “But we responded to a lot of cases where dogs had gone missing because they got terrified when they heard the fireworks.”
Susan van Niekerk, a senior vet at the Animal Rescue Organisation, said there was a case in Ottery two years ago when a dog broke through a glass window and roamed the streets for two weeks with cuts on its body before someone found it and brought it to the Animal Rescue.
The Animals Protection Act states that it is illegal for people to terrify any animal, but according to the SPCA, this continues despite efforts to educate the public on the dangers and legalities of using fireworks and lobbying the government for a total ban on the use of fireworks.
The SPCA’s inspectorate will be on standby to respond to animal emergencies on (021 700 4158/59 or after hours 083 326 1604).
Cape Argus