A Westville toddler has been discharged from hospital after he was allegedly shot during a fireworks display.

The three-year-old boy was allegedly shot at his home while he was with his family during the crossover to 2023.

The boy’s father said they had waited up with his wife and two children. “Our three-year-old son is the youngest – he is just making sense of the world – so we were looking forward to showing him this moment,” said the parent.

He explained the view from their garden looks over Durban, and they felt that place would be their best spot. “We did not have any fireworks with us, and we were just watching from our garden. We heard a sound, and my son fell to the ground. Initially, we thought it was a firework [that hit him], but as I lifted up his shirt, I realised that it was a bullet. I panicked and called the ambulance,” he said.

The parent expressed his concern over fireworks and how people hide behind them to do such things. On Westville’s community Facebook group, the parent vouched for the ban of fireworks.

“There is so much hype over fireworks affecting animals, but no one targets the deplorable gun owners who discharge their weapons behind the disguise of fireworks. Some, ironically, probably own animals. I do not own a firearm, but I am pro gun ownership. I believe in the right to defend oneself.

“Fireworks are the catalyst in this case and provide a comfortable window for irresponsible gun owners to act like gangsters. Maybe some even are. To all of you Taliban wannabees, take some time to think if you possibly took a life on New Year’s Eve and all the other times you were trying to impress your chinas. Karma’s coming for you,” he said.

The toddler spent some time recovering in hospital before being discharged.

Westville Police communications officer Captain Elizabeth Squires said a case of attempted murder is being investigated, and that no arrest has been made yet.