WATCH: Brothers learn their lesson after playing with firecrackers

A firecracker "bomb" exploded in the faces of brothers Ashur, 10, and Naeem Adams, 8. Picture: Monique Duval

A firecracker "bomb" exploded in the faces of brothers Ashur, 10, and Naeem Adams, 8. Picture: Monique Duval

Published Nov 9, 2017

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Cape Town - Three boys from Mitchells Plain who snuck away to play with firecrackers have vowed to never touch it again after suffering severe burns.

Brothers Ashur, 10, and Naeem Adams, eight, were treated for facial burns after allowing their older friend, Riedewaan Salaam-Madatt, 16, to light a firecracker on a field in Tafelsig on Monday.

Their mother, Tasneem Odendaal, says she is angry with the children who went to light firecrackers without her knowledge.

She says their older brother, Zubair, 13, had celebrated Guy Fawkes at Strandfontein Pavilion on Sunday and came home with leftover firecrackers, which he gave to his younger brothers.

The next day, the two boys went to light the crackers on their way to school.

The two learners from Tafelsig Primary School called Riedewaan and asked him to light “the bomb” which they say looked like a Christmas decoration.

Riedewaan lit the ball and it immediately exploded in Ashur’s face.

“He didn’t have a chance to throw it and it did just bombed and I just saw yellow [flash]. I ran away and my aunty put water on my face and they took me to hospital,” says Ashur.

The explosion caused Naeem to fall backwards and hit his head, while the "bomb" ripped a hole through Riedewaan’s hand.

All three boys were taken to Mitchells Plain Day Hospital where they received treatment for first degree burns, and Riedewaan received stitches to his hand.

Riedewaan’s mother, Soraya Salaam-Madatt, says boys in the area went on a smearing spree on Guy Fawkes day while gangsters from rival gangs were involved in fights.

“That is what Guy Fawkes is now, not what it was a few years ago. It is not fun anymore,” she says.

“I just want this thing to be banned! Look at the shops that sell this stuff to small children and the parents don’t even know.”

Asked whether they would play with firecrackers again, Ashur says: “No, because it made me sore.”

“And we see what it can do,” adds Naeem.

Picture: Leon Knipe/[email protected]

On the same day, the

Animal Welfare Society was called out to London Village where a dog was

found hanging.

Jaque le Roux, of Animal Welfare, says the pit bull was trying to escape the sound of fireworks and tried to jump over a wall. The chain hooked and the dog choked to death.

“The problem with fireworks is that the sound is amplified for animals and to them it sounds like bombs, so they jump walls and squeeze through tight spots to try and escape,” explains Jaque.

Daily Voice

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