By Anita Dangazele
The Phalane family is inconsolable after their five-year-old son Ditebogo Phalane Jnr lost his life during a carjacking outside his home in Soshanguve on Friday night.
Junior, as his family called him, had gone out to welcome his father as he always did when his dad arrived home.
His father, Ditebogo Snr is based in Polokwane because of work and comes home every Thursday and Friday.
The fatal shooting of a five-year-old boy during a hijacking in Soshanguve has drawn widespread outrage and political attention.
The EFF’s Mbuyiseni Ndlozi visited the family on Sunday. Ndlozi said Phalane Snr took him through the events of that fateful evening.
“He said he doesn’t understand why they shot his son because they were interested in the vehicle, and he was very cooperative.”
“But the guy who had a gun in his hand seemed to be trigger-happy. He described him as being under the influence of some substance,” Ndlozi said.
Ndlozi said South Africa is a war zone.
“In 2023 alone, there were 27,000 murders in South Africa. To appreciate what that number means, in Palestine where Israel is ravaging people’s lives with bombs the death toll is standing at 34,000. In South Africa over 27,000 have people died. That’s why we say we are in a war zone,” Ndlozi said.
He blamed the high crime rate on socio-economic issues.
“The black youth literally have nothing to do. There are no sports, there is no employment, there is no culture, films or any other activities. In the townships, over 60% of youth cannot find employment,” he said.
Pictured above: Five-year-old Ditebogo Phalane Junior, who was shot dead during a carjacking on Friday night outside his home.
Image source: X
