Ditebogo Phalane is inconsolable after his five-year-old son Ditebogo Jnr was shot and killed in a carjacking outside their home in Soshanguve block UU on Friday night.
Family spokesperson Gift Makoti said the heartbroken dad rushed his unresponsive son to the nearest hospital only for him to be declared dead.
“He does say that the child was unresponsive when he took him to the hospital, hoping he would get help. The hospital could not save the boy and he was declared dead. At the moment the family is deeply distraught because it's a young couple, they are in a state of shock and overwhelmed,” Makoti said.
Police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo said they had opened a case of murder and hijacking and were searching for the suspects.
“An unconfirmed number of armed suspects allegedly hijacked the father's White Toyota bakkie and shot the five-year-old boy who later died in hospital,” Masondo said.
The 33-year-old father of two boys and his partner had recently welcomed their third child, a girl.
According to Makoti, the couple had suffered a burglary in their home a few months back when their car wheels were stolen.
“He doesn't live in Soshanguve full time because of his work — he is in Polokwane and he comes home on Thursdays or Fridays. I am convinced these people knew his patterns, that he was coming back home,” he said.
Makoti said the child was a lovely boy who was always after his father and would jump into his car when his father arrived home.
“He named him after himself. He started a business this year, picking up potatoes from a nearby farm and selling them in townships. The boy was also part and parcel of the day. They would go out to try to get customers and deliveries. Every time he heard the engine running he would run to the car. He was close to his father, very close — they did everything together.”
Makoti said: “I do not know how he is going to survive without this boy, I can't even begin to imagine what the mother is feeling.”
He complained that crime is rife in the area.
TimesLIVE
Family of five-year-old killed during car hijacking in Soshanguve shattered after dad hoped to get help at hospital
Police are searching for unconfirmed number of armed suspects who brutally shot the boy. Dad is inconsolable after he rushed unresponsive son for help.
Image: Supplied
Ditebogo Phalane is inconsolable after his five-year-old son Ditebogo Jnr was shot and killed in a carjacking outside their home in Soshanguve block UU on Friday night.
Family spokesperson Gift Makoti said the heartbroken dad rushed his unresponsive son to the nearest hospital only for him to be declared dead.
“He does say that the child was unresponsive when he took him to the hospital, hoping he would get help. The hospital could not save the boy and he was declared dead. At the moment the family is deeply distraught because it's a young couple, they are in a state of shock and overwhelmed,” Makoti said.
Police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo said they had opened a case of murder and hijacking and were searching for the suspects.
“An unconfirmed number of armed suspects allegedly hijacked the father's White Toyota bakkie and shot the five-year-old boy who later died in hospital,” Masondo said.
The 33-year-old father of two boys and his partner had recently welcomed their third child, a girl.
According to Makoti, the couple had suffered a burglary in their home a few months back when their car wheels were stolen.
“He doesn't live in Soshanguve full time because of his work — he is in Polokwane and he comes home on Thursdays or Fridays. I am convinced these people knew his patterns, that he was coming back home,” he said.
Makoti said the child was a lovely boy who was always after his father and would jump into his car when his father arrived home.
“He named him after himself. He started a business this year, picking up potatoes from a nearby farm and selling them in townships. The boy was also part and parcel of the day. They would go out to try to get customers and deliveries. Every time he heard the engine running he would run to the car. He was close to his father, very close — they did everything together.”
Makoti said: “I do not know how he is going to survive without this boy, I can't even begin to imagine what the mother is feeling.”
He complained that crime is rife in the area.
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