Cape Town -
A 13-year-old Hanover Park boy was killed in crossfire between two gangs at the weekend.
Riedewaan Jones was buried on Sunday in accordance with Muslim rites after he had been killed in a hail of bullets fired by rival gangsters at Recife Court about 8pm on Saturday.
The gunmen were on bicycles.
“His friend told me that he could not run away from the guys who were shooting. The other children who played with him told me three guys on bicycles were shooting at each other. We got to the scene and he had bullet wounds all over his body,” Jones’s grieving mother, Asa Jones, said on Sunday.
Family members gathered in preparation for his funeral.
“My child was not a gangster. He was still in school and all he wanted to do was to be outside and play with his friends like any other child,” she said.
Jones said she was inside the house on Saturday evening when she heard shots.
“We heard gunshots and ran outside. All I could see was children running around,” she said.
Her husband, Abdul-Kareem Jones, said: “I allow him to play outside whenever he wants to because the area had been safe until now. I urge other parents to please
keep their children inside. We need to keep our young ones safe.
A resident, who did not want to be named, said: “I hope that this is not the sign of a new gang war. Our area has been quiet and our children have been very safe. Last year our children have been killed on almost a daily basis.”
Another resident, Brenda Jacobs, said: “This shooting has shocked all of us. All we want is peace in our area, for our children to be able to play and walk around freely. All we can do now is pray for their safety.”
Police spokesman Andre Traut said unidentified suspects had randomly opened fire in Surran Road
“No one has been arrested,” he said, and added that the motive was unclear.
While Hanover Park community police forum deputy chairman Ebrahim Abrahams could not be reached the organisation’s chairman, Cameron Weldon, said he had no knowledge of the incident.
Cape Times