A seven-year-old boy from Mitchells Plain may be disabled for life after he stumbled over an appliance standing in an aisle at a local store.
Abduragmaan “Maanie” Ariefdien fractured his right arm at the elbow after falling over the small oven in Game in the Liberty Promenade Mall.
The incident took place on January 6, but the little boy’s arm, which is growing at a right angle, is yet to heal.
His dad Armien Ariefdien, 33, says his son is in pain every day, and fears he could be disabled for life.
“The doctors said they cannot fix it. His arm will never grow right. We need to see a specialist and he is tired of people touching and fidgeting with his arm because it is so sore,” says Armien.
However, Game tells Daily Voice that it was the boy’s own fault he got injured.
Mom Naeema, 28, says little Maanie cannot handle a simple task like writing or opening a tap.
The Grade 1 boy is struggling at school, and has been absent 24 days since the incident.
A medical report from Red Cross Children’s hospital states that his arm is not growing correctly as a result of the fall.
Maanie had gone to the store with his uncle and cousins in January.
He explains: “My cousins chased me and I fell over the box and oven standing in the passage. I fell and my arm felt very sore and I cried.”
Maanie’s uncle ran with him to the nearby Mitchells Plain Day Hospital, from where he was transferred to Red Cross.
Naeema says what upset her the most was the attitude of the store manager, Quinton Bester.
“Quinton Bester showed no remorse, was rude and disrespectful. We were told that they do not care,” she says.
The mom says she took photos of the oven standing in the aisle “as proof”.
It appears Bester informed his bosses, because Naeema says: “Game Head Office called the next day, but after promising they would get back to us, still nothing.”
“The appliances should not be there (lying in the aisle). Game must compensate for what happened to my child,” she says adamantly.
Game spokesperson Tinabo Majaye-Khupe says they are aware of the incident, but say Maanie was at fault.
“It is clear from the video footage that the child tripped whilst playing, specifically he tripped whilst running away from his cousins who were chasing him.
“The child’s parents were provided with opportunity to view the footage, which they did. We have referred the matter to our insurers,” she says.
Maanie says he just wants the pain to stop.
“I want to go out and play cricket and soccer with my friends again. I don’t want it to be sore anymore,” he says.