[images:Kimon de Greef]

Many of the videos and photos coming out of last week’s protests in Hout Bay were disturbing, but it was the video of Ona Dubula being shot in the mouth that was shared far and wide.

You can see that video HERE.

Once many Hout Bay residents had stopped blaming the boy and his parents for the incident, concerns turned towards whether or not Ona was receiving medical attention.

Thankfully he was taken to Groote Schuur, where he ended up spending six nights “after having a rubber bullet surgically removed from beneath his tongue”.

The excellent Kimon de Greef reporting for GroundUp below:

[Ona] left hospital on Tuesday morning and returned home to Imizamo Yethu with his mother, Pinkie.

A group of Hangberg residents involved in the protest collected the pair from Groote Schuur…“It’s the least we could do,” said Angelo Josephs, whose employer gave a lift to the group. The Hangberg residents also raised about R900 for the Dubulas.

Ona recovered his speech several days ago but still has a large wound inside his mouth. He was in high spirits outside the hospital. “It doesn’t hurt so much,” he said. He was looking forward to resuming skateboarding, his favourite pastime, although his board needs repairs.

Pinkie was relieved to be leaving after returning home just once during her son’s recovery. She spent most nights sleeping in the trauma ward waiting room or on an armchair in the Ear, Nose & Throat unit where Ona was moved after his operation.

…Donations collected by a local student activist enabled [Pinkie] to buy food and airtime during her stay, as well as travel home by taxi over the weekend. The student also cooked a meal for Pinkie, who is unemployed, and lent her a blanket and coat.

Approximately 30 people had donated money via eWallet, the student said, with a further ten pledging to contribute at the end of the month.

“It is difficult to find words for how much that support meant for me,” Pinkie said.

And as for the fate of the police officer who unloaded on Ona from such close range? Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) have opened a case of attempted murder, and Pinkie is receiving legal help.

Not that she has much faith in that investigation:

[She] intends to lay separate charges this week. “I want to make sure it’s done properly,” she said. “How can the police investigate the police?”

We feel you, Pinkie.

[source:groundup]