More than 300 children were treated for gunshot wounds in the Western Cape this year.
Between 1 January and 12 June 2024, a total of 333 children were treated for firearm-related injuries in public health facilities across the province. Of these, 58 died.
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‘Three of these children who died as a result of a firearm are children under the age of 3,’ the Western Cape Department of Health said.
‘While we do not yet have the full picture of 2024 to compare to previous years, we can compare child homicides due to a firearm from 2022 to 2023.’
News24 reports that 83 child deaths were caused by firearms during 2022. In 2023, this number increased to 89.
A study conducted at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital found that most children treated for gunshot wounds sustained ‘unintended injuries’. Some of these are due to being caught in gang crossfire.
‘Gunshot wounds result in significant morbidity and mortality for the affected patients and families, resulting in significant (preventable) cost to the health system.’
‘The biggest challenge that we have as a society is to prevent these from occurring. This requires intersectoral collaboration, ensuring communities are safe for children, strengthening firearm legislation and the implementation of this legislation.’
On 9 June, 4-year-old Enzokuhle Dladlu and 10-year-old Lunje Chomo were caught in the crossfire when gunmen opened fire in a barbershop in Khayelitsha.
After being hit by a stray bullet, Dladlu passed away on her way to the hospital. Chomo died while he sat in a chair waiting for his haircut.
On 8 May, 8-year-old Loyola Gwadiso and her 1-year-old brother Khanide were caught in the crossfire while playing outside their shack in the Lotus Park informal settlement in Gugulethu.
Both children sustained gunshot wounds to their face, stomach, neck, chest and arms.
On 19 April, 16-year-old Zamawushe Momoti from Browns Farm in Philippi was killed on her way to her school transport at Belgravia High School.
According to Lizette Lancaster, crime hub manager at the Institute for Security Studies, an average of about four children are the victims of attempted murders in South Africa per day.
Last year, the South African Police Service’s quarterly crime statistics revealed that 212 children were killed in the province. A total of 419 attempted murder cases involved children.
This is an increase from 2022, when 191 child murders and 396 attempted murders occurred. However, this was down from 2021, when 229 children were killed and 532 attempted murder cases were recorded.
On 5 June, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen, called on Police Minister Beki Cele to release the fourth quarter crime statistics, which were due on 17 May.
As of the publication date, the statistics have not yet been released.
‘Younger children are often caught in crossfire while (…) in their front yards, walking on the street, or at playgrounds,’ Crime expert Guy Lamb told News24.
‘Adolescents are more likely to be engaging in gang activity when they are injured in a shooting. This trend is more common in the Western Cape, but it doesn’t mean that children in other provinces are not affected by gun violence,’ he added.
‘The second set of circumstances in which children are likely to be shot is when a gun is accidentally discharged in their home. This could be because the child is playing with the gun, or the gun accidentally goes off while being cleaned or when it is dropped.’
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