The family of eight-year-old Toheer Lewis is demanding answers after he died following an alleged firecracker incident in Manenberg, with relatives claiming that an ambulance did not arrive despite his mother’s calls for medical help.
Toheer died on Sunday morning, 1 November 2026, after an incident outside his home in Kei Street, opposite Manenberg Primary School. His family says a small firecracker, known locally as a klappetjie, exploded near his ear while he was playing.
The precise cause of death has not yet been established. Western Cape police have opened an inquest, and a post-mortem examination is expected to determine what happened. Police have not confirmed that a firecracker caused his death.
According to Toheer’s uncle, the boy ran to his mother after the blast, bleeding from his ear. She reportedly applied ointment to the injured area. Toheer later complained of severe pain in his head, and his mother gave him paracetamol.
His condition then worsened. When he began vomiting, his mother contacted emergency medical services, the family says. Toheer’s uncle said she was told that no ambulance was available.
Several hours later, during the early hours of the morning, the family says his mother received another call asking whether she still needed assistance because an ambulance had not become available. She confirmed that her son still needed medical attention and said she was prepared to wait.
The family says the ambulance never arrived.
Toheer eventually went to sleep. The following morning, his mother checked on him and found him stiff and unresponsive. He died that morning.
On Monday, relatives said the post-mortem process was still under way. They expected Toheer’s janaza, the Islamic funeral, to take place on Tuesday morning.
Community activist Yumna Alexander said the death had raised deep concerns about how people in vulnerable communities are treated when they seek essential public services.
“We are very upset because of this; it’s like our people are treated like outsiders when requiring state services.
“The majority of our people do not have transport available or money to book e-hailing services. We rely on those state services and most of the time they don't show up for us.
“I would understand if it was a shooting and it's not an innocent person, but Toheer was a child who was failed.”
Alexander also directed a warning at people buying and selling firecrackers in Cape Flats communities, urging residents to report suspected sellers.
“To our communities on the Cape Flats, we want to send a strong message to parents who are purchasing firecrackers and those selling them: there will be consequences.
“Please report any person or shop selling firecrackers to me via inbox, name and full address.”
Ilitha Labantu spokesperson Siya Monakali called for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Toheer’s death. The organisation said the family’s account of the ambulance call should be examined alongside the events leading up to the boy’s death.
“No parent should have to plead for emergency medical assistance while their child is experiencing potentially life-threatening symptoms,” Monakali said.
Monakali called on the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness to establish whether the emergency call was properly assessed, whether an ambulance could have been redirected and what alternative assistance was offered.
The Department said it was engaging with relevant teams to establish what took place. Spokesperson Khayakazi Matanda said: “The Department is treating this matter with seriousness, and we are engaging with the relevant teams to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“We will take all necessary steps to ensure that any concerns identified are appropriately addressed. Our commitment remains to ensuring that all patients receive timely and appropriate care.”
The family’s concerns come as the City of Cape Town has warned about the illegal sale and use of fireworks ahead of Guy Fawkes on 5 November and Diwali on 8 November. Manenberg was among the Cape Flats areas the City identified as a hotspot for illegal fireworks activity.
Figures from the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre showed a sharp rise in complaints. During the first three weeks of September, the centre received three complaints about illegal sales and six about illegal discharges. In the first three weeks of October, the figures rose to at least 13 reports of illegal sales and 49 reports of unauthorised discharges across the city.
The City says fireworks displays are not permitted without formal authorisation, and Cape Town has no designated sites for residents to set them off. It has warned that illegal fireworks can cause fires and injuries, frighten people and animals, and add pressure to enforcement and emergency services.
Those warnings do not establish what type of firecracker was involved in Toheer’s case, whether it was being used illegally or whether it caused his death. Those questions remain for investigators and the post-mortem process to answer.
Western Cape police have registered an inquest into Toheer’s death. The investigation, the medical findings and the Department’s review of the reported emergency call are now central to the questions his family and community want answered: what caused the child’s death, what happened when help was requested, and whether anything could have been done differently.