Two children hit by stray bullets in South Africa clash

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa 

One child was killed by a stray bullet in Cape Town on Monday and another wounded when illegal residents fired at police seeking to prevent them from moving into social housing units , the mayor said .

Police in the coastal South African city have broken up several unlawful property grabs in recent weeks .

These so - called “ land invasions ” happen relatively regularly in South Africa , fuelled by rampant inequality and a lack of low -cost housing in urban areas .

But Cape Town ’ s latest “ invasions ” have turned violent , with squatters setting vehicles on fire and destroying community facilities as they clashed with law enforcement officials .

The situation escalated on Monday , when shots fired at police killed an eight - year -old boy and wounded a 12 - year - old girl , Mayor Dan Plato said in a statement .

“ Over the last month we have seen violent and coordinated land invasions in over 30 different parts of the metro , ” Plato said , adding that almost 50 officers had been injured in clashes.

Cape Town security official Richard Bosman said the shots had come “ from a crowd of people ” , after which a gunman was identified but fled the scene .

“ The officers did not return fire … but sought cover instead , ” he added .

Cape Town police have opened an investigation for murder and attempted murder .

( AFP )