EKUPHELENI – An eight-year-old girl reportedly spent weeks with a pistol bullet lodged in her foot before a hospital scan exposed the shocking discovery.
The bullet was discovered this month after the minor, who had sustained an injury while playing with her siblings, repeatedly received medical attention without her condition improving.
According to information gathered by this publication, the incident dates back to last month when the girl was playing with her siblings outside a centre at Ekupheleni.
It was gathered that while playing, she suddenly felt a sharp object pierce the underside of her foot. At the time, the minor reportedly thought she had stepped on a piece of wire.
Following the incident, those responsible for the gogo centre were informed about what had happened.
They reportedly contacted the girl’s parents, who subsequently took her to hospital for medical attention.
Information gathered is that upon arrival at the hospital, nurses attended to the injury by cleaning the affected area and administering antibiotics.
However, despite receiving medical attention, the wound reportedly did not heal as expected.
It was gathered that after some time, the minor was taken back to hospital, where nurses again cleaned the wound and gave her medication.
Instead of the injury improving, the condition of her foot reportedly deteriorated, with the area beginning to swell. The girl also reportedly experienced difficulties placing her foot on the ground.
Sources revealed that the minor was subsequently taken to hospital again this month for further medical attention.
It was during this visit that medical practitioners reportedly recommended that a scan be conducted to establish what could be causing the persistent complications.
It was then that the shocking discovery was made, with the scan identifying a pistol bullet lodged inside the child’s foot.
The minor was subsequently informed of the discovery in the presence of her parents.
Following the revelation, the girl reportedly recalled an incident that occurred on the day she sustained the injury.
According to information gathered, the minor told her parents that she remembered hearing a loud noise, which sounded like a gunshot, while she was playing with her siblings. She is also said to have recalled seeing one of the residents shooting at cats, which have reportedly been troubling residents in the area.
Following this information, police officers reportedly visited the resident identified by the child as the person she had seen shooting.
It was gathered that the police seized a pistol from the resident, which has since been submitted for ballistic testing to establish whether it was the firearm from which the bullet lodged in the child’s foot was discharged.
Information gathered is that the resident reportedly admitted to having fired the pistol but maintained that he was not shooting at the child.
The circumstances under which the girl sustained the injury remain subject to police investigations, with the outcome of the ballistic examination expected to assist in establishing whether the seized firearm is linked to the bullet recovered from the minor’s foot.
In a previous incident, a seven-year-old pupil, Siphelele Mhlanga from Phola Township in Nhlangano, was struck in the head by a stray bullet while travelling home from school inside a kombi, in full view of other children.
She was left in critical condition and admitted to intensive care, sparking profound shock and concern from her family, school administration and the local transport association. Police launched an investigation into the incident.
