Less than three years after heartless skollies gunned down six-year-old Nathalia Pienaar in front of her Lavender Hill home, her 16-year-old uncle has died the same way.
The family of Darren Martin say they are living in a horror movie after watching two children in their family die as a result of gang shootings in the area.
Tears of disbelief flowed on Thursday afternoon when Darren was shot while walking home from a local community centre in Grindal Avenue.
The Grade 9 learner from Lavender Hill High School had been attending an after-school programme and was on his way home when he was killed in a drive-by shooting.
He was the uncle of Nathalia, who was killed while playing with a skipping rope in front of her home in August 2019.
She was struck in the head and later died at Red Cross Hospital.
His hartseer sister Natasha Davids, 34, says she could not believe her eyes when she saw Darren’s lifeless body in the street.
“It was just like Nathalia all over again. I was inside the house and heard lots of skote going off.
“I went to look and there I saw Darren lying in his red tracksuit pants,“ she says.
“Darren didn’t fetch his report on Thursday, he was at the community centre playing dominoes and other activities they have there for the children after school.
“We were told he was walking home when he was shot from the back.
“He was shot so many times we couldn’t even count.”
Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, confirms the shooting and says: “Steenberg police are investigating a murder case after a shooting incident on Thursday at about 4.30pm in Grindal Avenue, where a 16-year-old boy was shot and fatally wounded.
“The unknown suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested”.
The traumatised family says after Nathalia’s death, three members of the Fast Guns gang were busted and are set to be sentenced at the Western Cape High Court next month.
“We are very traumatised and upset to lose two children in our family in this way,” says Natasha.
“We don’t understand why innocent children keep getting killed in Lavender Hill but feel if we stand up, who will stand with us against these gangsters?
“Our children don’t deserve to die like gangsters in the street.
“We went the next day to get Darren’s report and he did well. It was just one subject he needed to improve. Now he is gone.”