2 days ago
‘We are completely broken,' say parents of five-year-old killed in gang crossfire
Attending the trial of the two gangsters who killed their five-year-old son has been a sombre ritual for Patrick Kotze and Romana Grootetjie.
Since May this year, members of the media have clustered in a courtroom of the Western Cape Division of the High Court in Cape Town, chronicling the trial of Jerome 'Donkey' Booysen. Alongside several alleged underworld kingpins, the notorious, alleged boss of the Sexy Boys gang is on trial for the murder of 'Steroid King' Brian Wainstein.
Simultaneously, but unnoticed, a man and woman have been entering the court daily, arms entwined, as they make their way to an adjacent courtroom. This has been a sombre ritual for Patrick Kotze and Romana Grootetjie, the parents of five-year-old Valentino Romano, who was gunned down on 21 December 2019.
Since mid-April, they have provided agonising testimony to the tragedy that unfolded in their backyard in Lavender Hill. And they have silently wept as the trial unfolded of two gangsters accused of murdering the little boy while in pursuit of rival gang members.
The couple have winced while grisly details emerged of rival turf wars and the deadly consequences on children, especially their beloved Valentino. Yet each day, leading up to judgment, they have returned, hurting, but hopeful, to a room that is empty except for the judge, court officials, investigating officer, legal counsel and, of course, the accused.
After a trial lasting several weeks, Carlo Hofmeester (aka 'Naruto') and Chadwin Isaacs (aka 'Water') were convicted on Thursday by Judge Melanie Holderness on 13 of 17 counts, including murder, attempted murder, contravening the Prevention of Organised Crime Act and possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.
Both were acquitted on one of three firearms and ammunition counts and two counts of attempted murder. Sentence will be delivered on 11 June.
Kotze and Grootetjie are satisfied with the multiple convictions and appreciate the support they received from advocate Leon Snyman and the investigating officer, Siyasanga Mapukata.
'It was the first time we had been in a courtroom. We felt so alone, and we didn't know what to do, or who to trust,' said Kotze. 'But we were strengthened by advocate Snyman, and Sergeant Mapukata fetched us for court and took us home every day. Through their support, we could stand tall and give truthful testimony.'
Emotional
The State's main witness, Kotze, had maintained his composure throughout the trial. However, after the verdict, he wept in the arms of Grootetjie. An equally emotional Grootetjie declared: 'Although we are grateful, we are completely broken. No parent should ever have to lose a child, especially like this. I shall make sure these gangsters never get out of prison to destroy any more young lives.'
At around 2.15 pm on that tragic day, Valentino — the eldest of three siblings — was playing with his younger brother in the yard of the family's Wendy house, at 37 Drury Court in Lavender Hill. It is situated in 'turf' belonging to the Mongrels — one of Cape Town's most notorious street gangs.
Corroborated by several witnesses, Kotze's testimony described a scene of confusion, terror and carnage. On 21 December 2019, the Mongrels had congregated nearby. Despite intermittent truces, they were constantly competing with a rival gang, the Fast Guns, for control of Lavender Hill's drug trade.
Armed with guns and ammunition, the accused — members of the Fast Guns — were instructed by a senior gang member, John Dickson, to 'take out' a member of the Mongrels. In the ensuing gunfight, Wesley Kok, aka 'Salibom', a Mongrel gang member, was shot and wounded at Drury Court.
Kotze testified that he saw Hofmeester — Accused No 1 — running towards him as he (Kotze) was returning from a shop. When Kotze reached the gate at 37 Drury Court, he warned the people inside and closed the gate. Hofmeester grabbed him. Kotze pulled loose and fled.
Glancing back, he saw Hofmeester open the gate leading to 37 Drury Court, enter and shoot into the yard. Hofmeester then met Isaacs at a shop. Isaacs ran towards 37 Drury Court, opened the gate and shot into the yard. The two gang members also fired at other occupants of the premises as well as community members nearby. They then fled the scene, leaving Valentino fatally wounded.
The suspects were arrested two days later, but during 2020, Dickson — the 'mastermind' — died in Pollsmoor Prison from a suspected heart attack. The trial was subsequently dogged by delays until April this year.
Caught in the crossfire
Valentino's murder and trial have been wrought with irony. The judgment comes in the middle of Child Protection Week and the commencement of Youth Month. Both commemorations serve as a stark indictment of the perils facing children, many of whom are caught in the crossfire of Cape Town's gang wars.
'It is shameful that during Child Protection Week and Youth Month, we have not stepped up as adults to protect our children,' said Lucinda Evans, of Philisa Abafazi Bethu, an emergency shelter for women and child victims of violence.
According to the Western Cape Department of Health, between January and June 2024, 333 children were treated for firearm-related injuries at public health facilities. During the same period, 58 children — some as young as 12 months — were killed in shooting incidents. The child-body count continues, with new names added to the catalogue of carnage. The crisis has been described by community members across the Cape Flats as a form of urban terror, in which children are collateral damage in a madness not of their making.
One such incident occurred in February 2025, when four-year-old Davin Africa was fatally shot while asleep in his home in Happiness Street, Wesbank, on Cape Town's periphery. This incident happened almost two years after his 12-year-old sister died, reportedly in gang crossfire.
'This is not a suitable environment for children, as they are not safe even in their own backyard,' said Romana Grootetjie.
Adding perverse irony to tragedy, on the day that Valentino was murdered, the funeral of slain drug kingpin Rashied Staggie was held. No expense was spared for his celebrity send-off, while Valentino's destitute parents had to rely on donations to give their son a decent burial. Unable to afford relocation from Drury Court, they constantly relive the trauma, terror and unremitting grief of his murder.
And although there was extensive press coverage of Valentino's murder, to date there has been no reportage of the trial. But Grootetjie and Kotze refuse to allow Valentino's memory to be muffled. They plan to marry on 22 June: Valentino's birthday.
'Our angel might not be here with us on our special day,' said Kotze. 'But we will celebrate his life, our love, and our hopes for the safety of our children.' DM
