‘Thug pals ruined my life’: Teen hit with shotgun takes the stand at court
|Published
SURVIVOR: Lorenzo Pietersen post face surgery after being struck in the face with a shotgun. Picture supplied
WARNING: Article contains graphic images which may upset sensitive readers.
A Kensington teen, who miraculously survived being hit in the face with a shotgun, took the stand at the Cape Town Regional Court last week and told the court how his skollie friends ruined his life.
Despite being left to die in a ditch, Lorenzo Pietersen, 19, is recovering well and working on his dream to become a DJ.
The shocking shooting, which happened in January 2020, sent tongues wagging on social media when Lorenzo “rose up from the dead” and spoke to cops who discovered his body.
At the time, detectives from the Anti-Gang Unit had conducted raids in the area amid rumours that two teens were spotted with a shotgun.
After busting Lorenzo’s friends with the firearm, officers went to a veldjie in 18th Avenue as residents claimed someone had been shot and left there the night before.
On arrival, cops found Lorenzo laying in the ditch and as they called paramedics to the scene to declare him dead, the teen sat straight up and started speaking like Lazarus from the Bible and spoke to shocked officers while pieces of flesh hung from his face.
At the time, a witness said the teen was shot after the shotgun went off accidentally as the group were smoking drugs.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Voice on Friday, Lorenzo says he could not remember much of the shooting.
He was rushed to Groote Schuur Hospital where he underwent 16 surgeries to save his face, and teams of specialists inserted plates in his head after his skull was damaged, and reconstructed his nose, jaw and palate.
Unfortunately the ordeal left Lorenzo blind.
“I was (in hospital) for months and I can still remember how much pain I was in,” he says.
“When I got home sometimes I would eat and feel my own teeth sinking into my gums as I was healing.
“It’s been devastating learning to rely on people just to walk to the bathroom, I feel hopeless at times.”
Determined to get his life back, Lorenzo enrolled at the Athlone School of the Blind and is currently training as a Peace Ambassador.
Last week he took the stand to describe the impact on his life after Alex van der Berg, a member of the Wonder Kids gang, pleaded guilty to the shooting.
Reflecting on his ordeal, Lorenzo says teens should be careful of who they choose as friends.
“We were friends, we walked together every day.
“One thing I learnt is that you must choose your friends carefully. I feel betrayed by them because they left me there to die and didn’t care about my life.
“Living now is hard. I cannot even just go for a walk on my own. Being blind is not easy and every day I sukkel.
“I still have dreams of becoming a DJ but I am hoping someone will help me.
“I don’t know how or why I survived but I want to make this a success story.”
Sentencing will be completed on 29 September.