Kimberley - A police officer and his friends, one of them believed to be a member of the South African National Defence Force, allegedly opened fire on about 80 youngsters in Ritchie.
The alleged incident happened on Saturday night and the youngsters had to run for safety.
Poppie van Wyk said her two sons and their friends’ lives were threatened when the men started shooting at them at a tavern in the town.
“The incident started after one of my son’s friends got involved in an argument with another boy. The youngster then left and later returned with the police officer and his friends. They then opened fire on the group of youngsters who were there.
“The youngsters had to run for safety but the men chased them in their vehicles.
“My 18-year-old son threw a stone at one of the men’s cars when he realised that one of them was going to run over his younger brother. Both boys luckily managed to find shelter in the neighbours’ premises,” Van Wyk claimed.
She added that her sons were later arrested by the police.
“The police were called after the incident, but nothing was done at first. They later returned and said they are taking the youngsters in for questioning.
“They took the empty bullet casings with them but they did not take the men who were involved in the incident to the police station. They only took five boys and the four casings with them. We managed to find another two casings in the street.”
She said she was later told that her son had been locked up.
“We were informed that my son was charged for damaging one of the men’s vehicles with a panga, but that is not true. He told the police that he threw a stone at the car when he saw that his brother’s life was in danger, but they did not pay attention to what he said and now he is being held responsible for the entire incident,” she claimed.
Van Wyk added that the alleged shooters did not care whether they were putting the lives of innocent bystanders in danger.
“These men were not on duty when this incident occurred. The police officer was not even in uniform when he started shooting at the youngsters.
“They were adamant on making a point because they even chased the young boys with their vehicles and they had to seek shelter in the houses of community members,” she said.
Police spokeswoman Major Dimakatso Mooi on Sunday confirmed the incident.
“It is alleged that on Saturday at about 9.30pm at Rietvlei in Ritchie, two groups of youngsters were engaged in a fight. The reason for the altercation is not known.
“One of the boys in the group is related to a police officer. It is further alleged that after the fight the other group of about 20 boys saw the vehicle of the police officer and started throwing stones at it.
“The police officer fired a warning shot and the group dispersed. However, a few minutes later the group returned and several warning shots were fired again,” Mooi said.
No one was injured during the incident and an 18-year-old suspect was arrested. The police are investigating a case of malicious damage to property.
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