Residents living at a block of flats, who were living under a tensed situation after the beating up of a young boy by a fellow neighbour, are now at peace following the intervention of the Laudium Sun.
The Laudium Sun was contacted by one of the neighbours recently, who did not want to be identified but apparently witnessed the incident, during which one of the residents, a granny living at the old previously owned Council block of flats, Himalaya Heights on Himalaya Street, in Laudium hit the grandchild of another neighbour. It is alleged that the resident, a Somalian national (72) beat the 14 year old Indian boy so severely to the point that he sustained injuries resulting in him bleeding, as he played outside with other kids. The young boy was accused of knocking on the door of the Somalian woman on several instances and then running away each time when she opened the door. However, a few days after the Laudium Sun contacted the relevant parties for comment, peace has now prevailed in the neighbourhood.
Rukshana Chaboo, a resident of Himalaya Heights, Laudium, told the Laudium Sun soon after the incident, “My heart is so sore. How can you tolerate your own grandchild being so badly injured after being assaulted by one of your neighbours? The incident happened on Wednesday at around 7:45 pm. My neighbour, who is originally from Somalia, beat my grandchild for no reason. She also came to bang on my door and threatened me. I was at home, and my grandchild was playing outside. There are many children from all different races who get together and play outside. It was a quiet night, and my grandchild was playing while everyone minded their own business. After some time, my grandchild ran into the flat and came to me crying, bleeding from wounds on his hands and chest. I was nervous and angry. I asked him who did this to him, and he told me it was the Somali neighbour who lives next to our flat. She had beaten him badly for no reason and attacked him while he was playing. When I heard about the incident, I was shocked and very emotional. How could a 72-year-old woman be so cruel, beating up South African children? After a few minutes, while I was cleaning my grandchild’s wounds, the Somalian woman who had beaten up my grandchild came to my door and banged on it so hard, demanding that I come out. I was scared. I didn’t know what to do because she was a very scary woman, screaming like she was going to kill my grandchild. I didn’t open the door because I was literally terrified. I had heard that Somali children, when they are born, aren’t given toys to play with but guns, so I was afraid. I thought that if I opened the door, the neighbour might kill me or shoot me. After a while, she went back to her flat, and I called my son, who wasn’t at home at the time. He immediately called VIP Protection for me, and the security came right away to protect me from the Somali woman. I believe these people come from Somalia and may not understand the rules and regulations in South Africa. It’s a crime to lay hands on children here, but I don’t blame her because she may not know the rules in our country. I want to live in peace with my neighbour but I am terrified of her and I am not the only one who is scared of her.”
The Laudium Sun then went to the granny, Ayesha Ali’s flat, who is originally from Somalia to get her side of the story. However she was not at the flat ,so we left a message for her to contact us. Finally when we got hold of the granny, a few days later, she told the Laudium Sun: “I’m really sorry about the incident and I deeply apologize for what happened. It was a big mistake, as I mistook Rukshana’s grandchild for someone else who was banging a few times on my door that day. I got angry and wanted to tell them to be quiet, but I lost control and ended up beating Rukshana’s grandchild. I’m sorry for my behaviour, and it will never happen again.”
Rukshana thanked the Laudium Sun for intervening saying, “After you guys came into the picture, my Somalian neighbour apologised to me and my grandson and we are now living peacefully and in harmony.”
Roger Naidoo, another resident of Himalaya Heights, told the Laudium Sun, about a week after the incident, “I was not at home when the incident happened, but I heard that the matter is being resolved. However, I want to say that everyone living in this country must know the rules and regulations before they lay hands on any child in South Africa. I hope both parties can make peace, leave past grudges behind, and live peacefully again.”
