A GUGULETHU family is in sorrow after their two children were fatally caught in gang crossfire.
Layola Gwadiso, an eight-year-old girl, and her two-year-old brother, Khanide, were killed in the Lotus informal settlement on Monday, 29 April, just moments after they had left a neighbour's house to head home.
What happened?
The heart-wrenching event took place a mere 20 metres from the family's home.
Parents Ntembeko and Bomikazi Gwadiso are left with a many of unanswered questions regarding the tragic incident.
Neighbour Anitha Mangwentshu recounted the moments leading up to the tragedy, explaining that the children had just visited her house when the shooting occurred.
In the aftermath, she discovered Khanide bleeding and rushed him to the hospital.
“At that time, I didn’t see Layola so I ran to the hospital with Khanide. I stopped a Toyota Avanza at the hospital and the boy was still alive, but he couldn’t talk. He was trying to talk but words couldn’t come out,” said the neighbour.
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Family's Grief and Questions
Uncle Xolisa Gwadiso said the deaths of his brother’s kids was still hard to believe.
"The way they died is not clear to us. Both kids have two bullet holes, and it doesn’t look like they were hit accidentally. They were not the only kids on the street when the incident happened, but they were the only ones who were affected. For us it doesn’t look like stray bullets,” said Xolisa.
Reports emerged that Layola had tried to protect her younger brother during the shooting, a detail that further adds to the family's grief.
“These are the stories we have heard when we arrived because weren’t here,” said the kids' father, Ntembeko.
The Gwadiso family intends to return to Mqanduli in the Eastern Cape for the children's burial on 11 May, seeking solace in laying their young ones to rest in their ancestral land.
Ongoing Investigation
Police spokesman Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed the incident is under thorough investigation.
"According to reports, the victims were playing outside when unknown men started shooting at each other. The children were caught in the crossfire and were transported to a local hospital where they were declared deceased. The suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested,” said Twigg.
