“I just want out of Hanover Park.”
These are the words of a traumatised young mother who watched helplessly as skollies opened fire on her family.
Raadiyah Adams, 32, was one of three moms injured during shooting between rival gangs on 7 July and was struck in the leg.
Adams was recently discharged from Groote Schuur Hospital where she underwent two surgeries after a bullet ripped through her artery.
“It was just before 2pm and me, my husband and our four daughters were walking to my auntie.
“I saw the guys, but didn’t think anything. Then the shots went off,” she explains.
Raadiyah Adams from Hanover Park was wounded in her leg
Adams fell to the ground after being hit in the right thigh. “I just felt something warm and thought it was pee, but I saw I was shot. I screamed for my husband to get the children and they ran, but my three-year-old froze.
“They just continued shooting and I couldn’t get to her, but my husband got her and ran away.”
A neighbour rushed Adams to hospital where doctors struggled to save her leg.
“It was cold and blue and they took veins from my legs to repair it.”
The retail assistant, who is the breadwinner, says she is unable to work now.
“My mother is looking after my kids and I can’t walk. I am hoping someone can help me with a safe place for my children,” the desperate mom says.
Raadiyah Adams was one of three moms injured during shooting between rival gangs in Hanover Park. Picture: Monique Duval