An 11-year-old boy survived a gunshot to the head and two men were shot and killed in an alleged gang-related incident in Malva Street, Eastridge, on Thursday, April 24.
Image: Leon Knipe
The mother of 11-year-old Zailin Visser, who survived a gunshot to his head, says her son’s recovery is a miracle.
Zailin was struck in the back of his head by a stray bullet that was meant for an alleged Fancy Boy gang member around 9pm on Thursday, April 24. He was helping his grandparents pack up their fruit and vegetable stall in Malva Street, Eastridge, when unknown assailants opened fire on the alleged gangster who was standing a few metres away at a tuckshop.
Speaking to the Plainsman on Monday, May 5, Gabriella Smith said her son is well on his way to recovery at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
“For me it is really a miracle. The bullet hit Zailin in the back of his head on the right and went right through his skull on the left. Fortunately, there was no damage to his brain. He is still in hospital and is receiving physiotherapy. He can walk, and although his neck is a bit stiff, he is already playing,” Ms Smith said.
Zailin’s shooting, which happened a month before his 12th birthday, has been a harrowing ordeal for his family and the Eastridge community, which has been plagued by repeated gang violence in recent months.
“Zailin just left the house to help my mom pack up their stall. I was in bed already and he told me that he was going back outside to help my mom. A few minutes later I heard the shots go off.
“When I got to the door, I heard my neighbours shout that he was shot, and another neighbour said that he was dead. When I got to the corner of Olive Street, I passed the body of an alleged Fancy Boy.
“As I walked around, I saw that there was another person lying on the ground, I thought it was my son but it was a black guy. He also died. Zailin was lying in a pool of blood a short distance away,” Ms Smith recalled.
Zubair Jacobs, 7, and a man, 20, were both shot multiple times, in a gang-related shooting, in Kameel and Gazelle streets, Eastridge, on the evening of Tuesday November 7, 2023.
Image: Supplied
Mitchell’s Plain police chief, Brigadier Brian Muller, said police received complaints of the shooting in Malva Street at 10pm on Thursday, April 24.
“Upon arrival on the scene members found the bodies of two individuals with multiple gunshot wounds all over their bodies. An 11-year-old boy was also hit by a stray bullet in his neck.
“One of the deceased is a known member of the Fancy Boy Gang and the other individual is currently unknown,” he said.
Zailin is not the first minor from Eastridge to be shot in an apparent gang-related incident in recent years. On Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Zubair Jacobs, 7, died in a hail of bullets a few weeks before his 8th birthday (I want justice for my child' said mother of slain Zubair, 7, November 29, 2023). He and a 20-year-old man were both shot multiple times in Kameel and Gazelle streets, Eastridge.
Ms Smith said Eastridge residents continue to live in fear of gang retaliations. "These shootings have been ongoing for several years now. It is really not safe. Zailin is the second child to have been shot in our area.
"It’s not fair that our children should grow up in an area where gangsters can do what they please. The police is helping us but for me, they are not doing their job because they catch the guys and then the suspects are out again," she added.
Brigadier Muller urged residents who witnessed the incident to come forward or to contact him on 060 980 3210 or Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or make use of the My SAPS app. “All information received will be dealt with confidentially,” he added.