‘She was my bossiekop': Father mourns as daughter is hit by stray bullet

The grandmother of a 14-year-old girl from Kensington who was shot dead while watching learners celebrating their matric farewells has described in horror how she chased after the gunman in a bid to catch him. The teen is the second child in the Western Cape to be killed by gang violence in less than a week as the December school holidays begins this week.

Last week, ruthless gunmen stormed inside the Rocklands, Mitchells Plain home of nine-year-old Zechariah Matthee, who hid inside a cupboard to evade their gunfire but was sadly shot multiple times, including his aunt, Cleo Bailey, 19, and friend, Mousheen Daniels, 26, and two others wounded with no arrests at this stage.

Alnika Mitchell was shot while sitting in front of her yard in Lugmag Street with her friends when she was hit by a stray bullet. The Cape Argus sister publication, the Daily Voice, visited Mitchell’s home on Sunday - a day after the heartbreaking incident.

The teenager, fondly called “Nika,” collapsed in the front yard, running for help after she was shot.

Her devastated grandmother, Beverley Abrahams, told the Cape Argus’ sister newspaper, the Daily Voice: “Nika and her two friends were sitting outside, right in front of the house looking at the matric balls.

“As I was on my way out to also look at the matric balls, that was when she came running in, holding her chest and said, ‘ma ek is geskiet’ (Ma, I am shot).

“I ran past her because I wanted to know who shot her, and my priority was to catch the person who hurt my child.

“As I came out, I saw this guy with a silver gun in his hand hiding by the corner shop; he still told me ‘uit die pad uit’ (out of the way) because they wanted to continue shooting. I ran to him and told him, ‘jy’t my kind geskiet’ (I told him you shot my child).

“I started chasing him because he was the one with the gun.

“I was calling for help and telling the people ‘hy't my kind geskiet, vang hom’ (he shot my child, catch him).

“I tried running after him, but I couldn’t go further because I ran out of breath. When I got back home, I saw her lying in the yard and I don’t remember further; I just went blank.”

Heartbroken dad Emilio Johnson could not hold back the tears, saying he was always protective of his children and always kept them indoors to keep them away from the gun violence in the street. He added: “She was my eldest daughter. She was supposed to get her report and proceed to Grade 10. Last term, I still made a joke with her and said she did not do well in her report.

“She almost wanted to cry, but I hugged and comforted her because I did not want to hurt her. She was my bossiekop; we had a good relationship.”

Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that murder and attempted murder cases were registered for investigation. Twigg said: “Kensington police responded to a complaint of a shooting on the corner of Lugmag Avenue and Ventura Street, Factreton, on Saturday evening, December 6, at about 7.30 pm.

“Upon arrival on the scene, they found the body of a 14-year-old girl who sustained a gunshot wound. The victim was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel.

“An adult male who sustained a gunshot wound to his arm was treated on the scene. According to reports, the suspect opened fire on a silver Volkswagen Polo when the victims were caught in the crossfire. The suspect fled the scene and is yet to be arrested.”

Hours after the shooting, ward councillor Cheslyn Steenberg hosted an open-air prayer service with Alnika’s family and residents, in which he called on the community to reclaim their streets from gangsters.

“We are not going to call for the army, for a shutdown; we want to move freely, when the army comes in, then you cannot move around freely.

“Support the family on the day of the funeral; show them you are there…but now you need to charge your batteries for Sunday; no devil in hell is going to stop us.

“This land belongs to the people, not gangsters; you can make me a target for all I care, it is alright. Skiet my, ek skiet terug (Shoot me, I shoot back)…. you will meet us on the battlefield."

Michael Jacobs of the Lentegeur Community Policing Forum and the Mitchells Plain United Residents Association (MURA) condemned the shootings: “What is supposed to be a 'safer festive season' has turned out to be nothing but death on the streets of the Cape Flats.

“So my question to all these politicians in National, Provincial and Local Governments: have we lost the fight against guns, drugs, and gangs?”

Following the deaths of the two, two more three more children have been wounded on the Cape Flats. 

On Sunday a 16-year-old boy was shot and wounded in Eerste River and last night two more children aged four and seven were also struck by gangsters bullets in Curry Street, Cloetesville, Stellenbosch and are being medically treated.

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