Busiswa calls for action: end festive season gunfire after child's tragic death

Busiswa has renewed her call for an end to festive season celebratory gunfire, sharing a personal and painful memory to underline why the practice must stop.

“When ‘Banomoya’ was Song of the Year at the end of 2018, I got a call for an interview on a community radio station in KZN, Inanda FM,” Busiswa said. 

“On the other line, they also had a father who had just lost his six-year-old daughter exactly as the midnight fireworks were blowing up, in the moments when the song was playing on the radio."

"She loved the song so much that she had been voting on her mom’s phone, hoping it would win. Someone was firing random gunshots in the air, and she got hit by a stray bullet. And that was how her life ended.”

The musician described the moment as one that should have been filled with joy. 

“In a joyous moment. Celebrating. Anticipating. Surrounded by loud love and joy. Gone,” she said. 

“Stop playing with guns this festive season. It’s not cute. It’s not edgy. It’s not hard. Put them away. Especially nina (you), my people of the heavens. You know who you are. Stop it.”

Festive season celebratory gunfire has long been associated with moments of celebration such as New Year’s Eve, weddings and major holidays. 

For some, firing a gun into the air is seen as a display of excitement, power or tradition. Others treat it as a way to mark the moment when the year changes, believing that shooting into the sky is harmless.

Experts and authorities have repeatedly warned that this belief is false. Bullets fired into the air do not disappear. They eventually fall back to the ground at high speed, which can cause serious injury or death. 

Stray bullets can travel far from where they were fired, making it impossible to predict who might be hit. Children playing outside, families celebrating at home, and people walking in their neighbourhoods are often the most vulnerable.

Police have also stressed that celebratory gunfire places additional strain on emergency services during a period when hospitals and law enforcement are already under pressure.

It increases fear in communities and contributes to a culture where firearms are normalised in everyday life.