A toddler is recovering in hospital after he was shot in the chest while watching fireworks at his family home in Westville on New Year's Day.
Speaking to IOL, Clyde Louw, the wounded boy’s father, said he was standing in the front yard of their Westville home overlooking the city, with their two sons watching fireworks as the country rang in the New Year when his three-year-old son fell to the ground.
"We heard the loud bangs and then a 'swooshing' sound and my son went down. I saw blood and thought a firework had hit him and I checked to see if he was hurt. I realised that he had a bullet wound and looked for an exit wound or I would've been spending those last moments with him," Louw said.
He said there was no exit wound as the bullet penetrated the boy’s abdomen.
The boy was rushed to hospital.
"He is not out of danger yet. He is in a stable condition," Louw said.
He added that the experience had been traumatic for the family, more so as the boy has been in a trauma ward since the incident.
"It is not a pleasant space and he has been having nightmares," Louw said.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Nqobile Gwala, confirmed that an investigation was underway.
"Westville police are investigating a case of attempted murder following an incident in which a three-year-old boy was allegedly shot on January 1. He was taken to hospital for medical attention," Gwala said.
Louw has since taken to social media to plead for fireworks to be banned.
"I do not own a firearm but I am pro gun ownership. I believe in the right to defend one's self. Fireworks are the catalyst in this case and provides a comfortable window for irresponsible gun owners to act like gangsters. Maybe some even are," he said.
He thanked the community for their support following the shooting.
"Miraculously my son survived the gunshot and is stable for now but will require many months of medical treatment," he said.
IOL