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13-year-old killed by police bullet during electricity protests in Emalahleni
The promising boy took a bullet to the head when police opened fire during a protest.
Philasande Yende. Image: Facebook/Laerskool Reynorif
Police have not yet provided answers as to why live ammunition was used during a protest in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, that resulted in the death of a 13-year-old boy.
According to reports, the grade 7 pupil was tragically killed by a stray bullet after going to see the protest action over the lack of electricity in KwaGuqa – a protest that resulted in him staying at home from school that day.
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Philasande Yende’s family told Sunday Times that the young boy had left home for school that morning, but due to the blocked roads during the protests, the driver of the scholar transport had to turn around and drop the pupils back at home.
Protests on N4
Furious community members took to the streets and blockaded the N4 road, setting tyres on fire, and demanding that the Emalahleni Local Municipality urgently restore their electricity supply, as they had endured three consecutive days without any lights.
According to a statement by the municipality, the power outage was attributed to a defective transformer that required transportation to the manufacturer for necessary repairs.
The family said Yende had arrived home, changed out of his school uniform, and then left again with his friends to go see the protest.
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While it is unknown at this stage what happened during the protest that led to police using live ammunition as opposed to rubber bullets, it was confirmed by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) that a stray bullet from a police officer hit the 13-year-old as he stood on the sidelines.
Bullet to the head
The bullet hit Yende on the head.
According to the publication, Yende’s friends said the bullet entered from behind his ear and exited through his forehead.
They said he was then rushed to the hospital.
Yende’s mother said when she she arrived at the hospital, she was informed that doctors were unable to save her child’s life.
The Yende family was left devastated by the news of the young boy’s death. They described him an avid sports fan and his school’s deputy headboy with a promising future.
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