A young man was brutally assaulted by five men with knives, and survived
Youth day was meant to be celebrated but instead, party-goers turned violent and attacked each other with knives and broken bottles.
BURGERSFORT – Youth Day was meant to be a day for celebration, but for one young man, it ended in tragedy.
The Epic June 16 social festival took place on Saturday evening at the Tubatse recreational park located in Mooifontein. This is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in town.
Residents expressed their disappointment with the management of the park, as there was no control of the use, or rather abuse, of alcohol. With the stage performances coming to an end and the park having no lights, the crowd started to go their separate ways. Tyres were screeching on the road and empty alcohol bottles lay on residents’ grass.
Some motorists even complained about glass bottles being thrown at them. What happened half an hour later in front of Magaba Filling Station was a horrific display in which the same “youths” acted in a gang-related way. Five men brutally attacked another man with knives. As seen on CCTV footage, the young man was standing around while others were hitting one another.
Steelburger/Lydenburg News spoke to the aunt of the victim. Out of fear of possible gang-related victimisation, she asked to remain anonymous.
She claims her 21-year-old nephew tried to break up a family feud when he became the next target. Two men can be seen on the video charging at him.
They are later joined by three others. The victim suffered 12 stab wounds to various parts of his body.
The aunt claims that family members who were on scene rushed him to Dilakong Hospital, where he was treated for internal bleeding. He is still in the hospital connected to draining tubes.
Bystanders claimed that the incident might be gang-related, but this has not yet been determined. No report of the assault was made to the police.
