A brick hurled through a car window by protesters at the height of the recent taxi protests in Cape Town has had devastating repercussions for graphic designer Saffron Shaw.
Shaw, 27, was struck on the head — in the exact spot where surgeons had recently fitted a prosthetic section of her skull following a severe stroke last year. The implant was shattered and new bleeding began on her brain.
The latest incident on August 5, which left her in a coma for two days, has set back her recovery by about six months and her prognosis remains uncertain. Her speech and movement on her right side have been significantly affected.
This week, Shaw's boyfriend Andile Matomela, who was driving the car, described the terrifying incident.
The couple was driving through Hout Bay on their return from a date in Somerset West when they got caught up in the violence.
“Suddenly we came across these balaclava-clad guys who were clearly not scared of the police as they threw bricks at motorists. One of the bricks hit the windscreen, and another was thrown at the passenger seat.
“It all happened so fast... I ducked [and] quickly made a U-turn but when I looked at [Saffron], she was completely out cold. I was just praying that she didn’t have a concussion on the side of the head that she had surgery. There was blood pouring out from her head. It was insane.”
Matomela beseeched a metro police officer for help. “All he told me was to put pressure on my girlfriend’s head to stop the bleeding, and had the nerve to tell me to get my car off the road as I was blocking traffic and inconveniencing other motorists,” Matomela said.
“Thank God we were able to get to hospital and she had emergency surgery, but doctors said the injury could have been fatal. They said had we arrived an hour later we would have lost her. It was absolutely my worst nightmare.”
Ironically, the date he and Shaw were returning from — at a cat café — had been a celebration of the progress she had made since the stroke in October. “I had surprised her … We went to a cat café as we have been wanting to get a cat. We actually had an amazing time.”
Shaw's stroke caused her brain to swell so much that part of her skull had to be removed to reduce the pressure. She required several operations and in May, the gap in her skull was closed again with a 3D-printed prosthetic. She began recovering and by July was walking on her own.
Now she is back to square one. “This whole ordeal has set us back to the exact same spot she was at if not worse, which is so heartbreaking,” Matomela said.
Physiotherapist Jennifer Adams, who has been treating Shaw since her stroke, has started a crowdfunding campaign for Shaw, whose medical aid funds are depleted.
Adams said Shaw was now at an inpatient rehabilitation centre. “Her speech and movement on her right side have been significantly affected.
It has set back her recovery by probably six months and her prognosis remains uncertain.
— Physiotherapist Jennifer Adams
“It has set back her recovery by probably six months and her prognosis remains uncertain.”
Adams said through hard work and determination, Shaw had recently learnt to walk again and even started going to the gym.
“In June she started getting some movement back in her right shoulder and elbow and could even close her hand a little bit. A week before this incident she walked without a brace on for the first time. That shows the tremendous progress that she had made.”
Now, she says, “it’s very difficult to know when will she get that movement back, if at all.”
Shaw’s mother, Michelle van Reenen, said she feared for her daughter’s recovery.
“Part of her brain — the size of my hand — is currently covered only by skin while she is waiting for a new skull, which will take another few months. She is very vulnerable now. If she falls and hits her head she can kill herself.
“She struggles with memory and forming sentences. She was doing a whole lot better before this and we were so relieved to finally see her getting up on her feet. What has happened to Saffron is incredibly traumatic as she had been doing so much better. The sad part is that nobody is being held accountable. Nobody has been arrested.”
Matomela, who opened a case with the police, said shortly after the police sent an SMS with the case number, “I got another message saying all leads had been followed up and the case was closed, without even anyone calling me.”
Police spokesperson Capt FC van Wyk confirmed a case of malicious damage to property and serious assault had been opened. He could not explain why the case had been closed and suggested the family contact the police in Hout Bay to find out why.
Five people died in the taxi violence, including British surgeon Kar Hao Teoh, 40, a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex.
He was shot and killed after taking the wrong turn into Nyanga, travelling from Cape Town International Airport while on holiday in the city. His wife Sara and two-year-old son Hugo were with him in the car.
Also shot dead was minibus taxi driver Bongani Kebeni, who was transporting security personnel who had just finished work.
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