High school learner shot, lucky to be alive

These were the words of Thabang Mogoje, an 18-year-old learner of Promosa Secondary School. He was lying in bed at his home in Promosa after being shot in the leg on Friday night when a fight broke out.

This sports fanatic, who excels in athletics and soccer, said the incident happened after the sports event at the school where he had run the 4 x 400-m relay.

‘My three friends and I were walking and stopped at the corner of the stadium; we were still deciding whether to hang around or go home.

‘Two of us went to buy fried chips at a nearby shop but the queue was so long that we left. A few moments later, a man rushed past us towards a group of people standing nearby. He was throwing empty bottles at them,’ he said.

According to Thabang, a gunshot rang out a few seconds later and the bullet hit him in the leg.

‘I heard the second gunshot and decided to flee. I must have fallen as I was running away because I remember seeing a group of people surrounding me.

‘I lay on the ground for more than two hours while waiting for an ambulance. A friend went to get help and I was transported to the hospital at about 00:08, just after midnight,’ he said.

The learner said he spent three days in the hospital and admitted that this incident has affected him tremendously. ‘I don’t know whether I will be able to play soccer again or run like I used to. I am also afraid I will be behind in my school work,’ he said.

The teen said it was hard to decide whether to report the case or not. ‘My mother was afraid of victimisation at the school and advised me not to report the case. A family member of the gunman is at the same school.

‘But I decided to report it anyway because I thought justice must take its course. I almost died from this, he could have shot me in the heart,’ he said, still visibly shaken.

Thabang’s guardian and grandfather, 68-year-old Aaron Mogoje says it’s heart-breaking. ‘I almost lost my grandson. I would have appreciated it if the shooter had come to our home and explained that it was a mistake and asked for forgiveness. I want to meet him so I know he is the one who shot my grandson,’ he said.

Sgt Kelebogile Trom, the Ikageng SAPS spokesperson says an attempted murder case has been opened. ‘The police arrested four men in relation to this incident, aged 34, 31, 26 and 21 respectively,’ she reported.

A concerned resident in Promosa has condemned this incident and says it is one of the dangers of hosting a sports event in the evening. ‘Why can’t Promosa Secondary host sports days during the day like other schools?’ she asked. ‘This compromises the safety of the learners.’

The livid resident argued that some learners do not have transport to travel to Ikageng at night.

‘The learners indulge in alcohol and drugs and that leads to fights. There is always chaos at the inter-house athletics every year but you hear some parents arguing that hosting it in the evenings is tradition and it is appropriate. They say hosting it late also allows them to attend the event. This is wrong, the school should host these events during the day,’ she insisted.