Cape Town - A teenage from Beacon Valley, Mitchells Plain, who was shot by a stray bullet a month ago, postponed her return to school because of the anxiety she had experienced hearing gunshots at night.
Tiyana van Rooyen, 13, had an operation at Groote Schuur to remove a stray bullet which went through her nostrils and stuck at the back of her head during a gang-related fight.
The Beacon Valley High School Grade 8 pupil said she looked forward to returning to school after being absent for almost a month.
But she said she was forced to delay her return because she heard gunshots on the night before her return which made her anxious.
Tiyana said that since the incident, she could not bear being in a room full of people because she got panicky.
“It feels almost normal for me being back at home, but I sometimes can’t help but get triggered. I am planning to go back to school but at the same time I can't ignore how I feel and the fact that I get scared when hearing gunshots.”
Tiyana’s mother, Zola van Rooyen, said her daughter started therapy about two weeks ago and she has had two sessions since then. She also said that physically she looks fine but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done mentally.
“Last night, after hearing the gunshots, Tiyana could not sleep at all. Today I left home going to work knowing that she was going back to school but when I called to check in on her, she told me she’s not going because she feels scared.
“Most of the time she does not like talking about what happened to her. She once told me she remembers everything, she remembers people calling her name and asking her not to shut her eyes. She’s a fighter and it's been a week now since she last took painkillers for her migraine.”
The family said that the man the bullet was meant for went to their home to show remorse. He further told them that he helped the police arrest one of the guys responsible for Tiyana’s shooting.
“I know that the police have someone in their custody. They have appeared twice already and the case keeps getting postponed. I am not ready to face any of them, even the one that came to our home to break the news about the case; I did not speak to him, he said all that he said to my eldest daughter,” said Zola.
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg confirmed an arrest on the attempted murder case.
“The attempted murder case is registered at Mitchells Plain SAPS for investigation. A 25-year-old male was arrested on August 24 on the mentioned charges. He appeared in Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s court on August 28.”