Cape Town mayor mourns five-year-old caught in gang crossfire

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Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has commended the police for swiftly arresting three suspects who allegedly shot and killed five-year-old Ameer Abrahams in Manenberg.

The five-year-old boy was caught in an alleged gang crossfire while on his way to a local tuckshop with his father. Two men were also injured during the incident.

FIVE-YEAR-OLD SHOT AND KILLED IN MANENBERG, CAPE TOWN

Ameer was rushed to hospital after the shooting, and Eye Witness News reported that the Abrahams family had to make the unthinkable decision of switching off his life support machines in the hospital after he was declared brain dead.

The five-year-old will be laid to rest on Friday, 10 January.

Following the incident, Hill-Lewis said they feel the extreme pain as parents themselves, and they stand with the family in demanding justice for this young life lost in such horrific circumstances.

“The City continues to offer our full support to SAPS, and we welcome the swift arrests made with the intention to pursue murder charges,” the mayor said.

Meanwhile, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith said they continue to assist the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the City of Cape Town Safety & Security Investigations Unit (SSIU) has passed on information received from Manenberg residents.

Smith said they will be monitoring court proceedings following the arrests of three suspects.

“The City stands ready to assist SAPS whenever requested for investigations into gang, gun, and drug crime through our investments in safety technologies such as gunshot detection in the Manenberg area and others, CCTV, Automatic Number Plate Recognition, and eye-in-the-sky aerial surveillance,” he said.