A Mitchells Plain teen says he was incorrectly labelled as a thug after the brawl in Canal Walk Shopping Centre which resulted in a group of young people flinging trolleys and shopping baskets at one another on an escalator.
The 19-year-old from Portlands, who asked not to be named, says while photos of himself and his friends went viral on social media after the incident, they were actually attacked in a separate incident outside the mall.
He says on Saturday night, he and six others, aged between 14 and 21, went to Canal Walk.
They were sitting at McDonald’s when a fight broke out at Wonderland.
“There was a fight between two groups at the games and the security made all of us leave,” he explains.
“We went to the parking lot to wait for our parents when a group of more than 20 guys came to rob us.”
Boy stabbed at Canal Walk shopping centre. Picture supplied
He says in the scuffle, he was stabbed in the back and a relative was stabbed in the arm, while his 17-year-old friend was stabbed in the chest, causing his lung to collapse.
“They hit us with belt buckles and stole my one friend’s phone. I was stabbed in the back when they wanted to take my cap and my uncle was stabbed in the arm.”
The boy with the collapsed lung is still in hospital.
He says photos were taken of the injuries while they waited for their parents, but has been incorrectly linked to the fight on the escalator on social media.
“We weren’t there and didn’t see that fight,” the teen boy says.
The boy’s angry father says they plan to lay criminal charges and wants Canal Walk to release footage of the attack.