Kids, animals hurt in Guy Fawkes incidents

SOME 22 injured people, 18 of whom were children, and at least 19 panicked animals were among the casualties during Sunday’s Guy Fawkes celebrations in Cape Town.

Among these, was a security guard who came under attack from a group of youths brandishing bricks and throwing paint and stones during celebrations along Military Road, Steenberg.

The guard was rushed to hospital after sustaining injuries to his head.

Law enforcement officers fired two rubber bullets to ward off the assailants, the City said yesterday.

This was one example of the harassment Cape Town residents complained about on Guy Fawkes, the City added.

Safety and security mayco member JP Smith said a boy was run over by a vehicle while fleeing from a “gang of youths brandishing paint socks”. He said a man on a bicycle on his way home from church was attacked with paint socks. A woman and two children were injured when a group of youths also attacked them with paint socks.

“Apart from the disturbance that fireworks cause, the behaviour of marauding gangs attacking innocent people is downright criminal. The constant sound of fireworks also masks the sound of gunshots, making it difficult for police to respond to real emergencies effectively,” said Smith.

A 10-year-old boy sustained an eye injury at the public viewing site at Strandfontein Pavilion and was taken to hospital. Another 10-year-old sustained a leg injury in Sarepta in Bellville.

The City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre fielded 209 calls on the day that were specific to Guy Fawkes and the illegal discharge of fireworks.

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA had a busy night, attending to 16 pancking stray animals running in the streets, three stray animals that were injured attempting to flee the sounds of fireworks and other incidents involving firework-related injuries sustained by pets.

Cape of Good Hope SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abraham said they admitted a cat to one of their sanctuaries after it was “horrendously” injured by fireworks in the Mamre area. “We appeal to the public to please keep a lookout for stressed and wounded animals which may have become displaced in their attempt to flee the noise of fireworks.”

Lost pets can be reported to the SPCA on 021 700 4166.

‘We appeal to the public to keep a lookout for stressed and wounded animals’