PORT ELIZABETH: Helenvale, the place where no one is safe, it does not really matter which side of the line you are on, whether you are the innocent bystander, a police officer or a gang member. The spectre of street violence and the sound of gunfire is ever present. Deadly.

Over the weekend, a two-year-old boy, Hakeem Baartman, was playing in the streets of Helenvale, in an area called “Die Gat” (The Hole), when gang violence erupted. Baartman was hit in the head by a stray bullet and died at the scene.

Helenvale father, Reeven Tobias says he was walking to the shop with his one-year-old son when they had to take cover from a hail of bullets. Video by: Raahil Sain/ANA