Mother of 12-year-old killed by stray bullet pleads for justice amid Cape Town’s escalating gang violence

Gang violence in Cape Town continues to spiral out of control, with one of the latest victims being 12-year-old Moegamat Faizel Challis, who was fatally injured by a stray bullet in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain.

Moegamat was shot in the head and leg while collecting party packs for his younger siblings last week. He later died in hospital. 

His mother, Ronel Challis, said she knows the men involved in the shooting, having grown up with them in the same community. 

She has called for harsher punishment for perpetrators, stating they should either be kept in prison for life or face the same fate as their victims. 

"Justice is, either you give him to me, the person who did this, you give him to the community to be killed, or you keep him behind bars for life. Because you are going to release him after a few years, and then he is going to do the exact same thing."

Despite the trauma, Challis remains focused on protecting her surviving children, ensuring they receive counselling and stay away from the cycle of violence that grips their neighbourhood.

"I am not going to allow this to traumatise my children or any other children."

Her comments come as Parliament’s police portfolio committee faces criticism for poor attendance at a key meeting on gang and gun violence, where only five of 14 MPs were present. 

To listen to Ronel Challis in conversation with CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit, click the audio below: