Two years after surviving heart surgery, a six-year-old child is fighting for his life after being shot in the head, allegedly by Mnquma mayor Thobeka Bikitsha’s bodyguard.
Last night, little Nathan Martin was in an incubator struggling to breathe in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Frere Hospital.
The bullet – fired by the unnamed bodyguard, who is the family’s neighbour in Reservoir Hills – came ripping through their shared prefabricated wall, and is lodged in the child’s brain. The bullet burnt his mother’s cheek before hitting the boy.
Mnquma municipal spokesman Loyiso Mpalantshane said late yesterday: “At this stage, the municipality does not have the full details of the circumstances that led to this unfortunate incident. We will only be able to give an informed opinion once there has been a full briefing.
“The mayor prays that the victim will make a speedy recovery.”
In a statement late yesterday, Butterworth police spokesman Captain Jackson Manatha confirmed that police “arrested a 31-year-old who is the bodyguard of the Mnquma municipality mayor”.
Nathan’s father, Lesley Martin, told the Daily Dispatch his son had been asleep with his mother when the bullet slammed into Nathan’s skull.
“We are faced with such a tragedy. It has followed us into our home. This boy recently came back from the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town where they performed a heart operation on him,” said Martin.
Nathan was admitted at Frere Hospital at 2am yesterday.
By 11am, his condition had taken a turn for the worse. He was struggling to breathe and was moved into an incubator.
“My son still has a bullet lodged in his brain as we speak. How do you explain that? How do you expect him to get the strength to fight that?” his distraught father said.
“But he is a strong boy. We were told that the bullet had shattered in his brain.
“This is a tragedy that has shocked the entire family and we are praying for strength during this time. The gentleman who shot our boy, lives in the same neighbourhood. It is someone we know.
“This is really a blow but what is important to us is the full recovery of our son,” he said.
“The suspect was trying to shoot a man who was robbing someone on Saturday at about 8.30pm at Reservoir Hills residential area,” Manatha said.
“The bullet hit a six-year-old child from another house. He handed himself over to the police and has been charged with attempted murder.”
The family disputed this, saying they believed their neighbour was “playing around with the gun”.
When the Daily Dispatch visited the family in Frere Hospital, Nathan’s parents were surrounded by family members.
Nathan’s mother, Daphene Martin, was too distraught to speak.
Heartache for little Nathan
Last night, little Nathan Martin was in an incubator struggling to breathe in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Frere Hospital.
The bullet – fired by the unnamed bodyguard, who is the family’s neighbour in Reservoir Hills – came ripping through their shared prefabricated wall, and is lodged in the child’s brain. The bullet burnt his mother’s cheek before hitting the boy.
Mnquma municipal spokesman Loyiso Mpalantshane said late yesterday: “At this stage, the municipality does not have the full details of the circumstances that led to this unfortunate incident. We will only be able to give an informed opinion once there has been a full briefing.
“The mayor prays that the victim will make a speedy recovery.”
In a statement late yesterday, Butterworth police spokesman Captain Jackson Manatha confirmed that police “arrested a 31-year-old who is the bodyguard of the Mnquma municipality mayor”.
Nathan’s father, Lesley Martin, told the Daily Dispatch his son had been asleep with his mother when the bullet slammed into Nathan’s skull.
“We are faced with such a tragedy. It has followed us into our home. This boy recently came back from the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town where they performed a heart operation on him,” said Martin.
Nathan was admitted at Frere Hospital at 2am yesterday.
By 11am, his condition had taken a turn for the worse. He was struggling to breathe and was moved into an incubator.
“My son still has a bullet lodged in his brain as we speak. How do you explain that? How do you expect him to get the strength to fight that?” his distraught father said.
“But he is a strong boy. We were told that the bullet had shattered in his brain.
“This is a tragedy that has shocked the entire family and we are praying for strength during this time. The gentleman who shot our boy, lives in the same neighbourhood. It is someone we know.
“This is really a blow but what is important to us is the full recovery of our son,” he said.
“The suspect was trying to shoot a man who was robbing someone on Saturday at about 8.30pm at Reservoir Hills residential area,” Manatha said.
“The bullet hit a six-year-old child from another house. He handed himself over to the police and has been charged with attempted murder.”
The family disputed this, saying they believed their neighbour was “playing around with the gun”.
When the Daily Dispatch visited the family in Frere Hospital, Nathan’s parents were surrounded by family members.
Nathan’s mother, Daphene Martin, was too distraught to speak.
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