The family of Juwayne Janson Govender, 22, of Evanbury in Eastbury is calling for justice after he was fatally stabbed following an argument with friends on Sunday evening, 29 September.
Govender was laid to rest on Friday, 4 October. Speaking to the Phoenix Tabloid, his aunt, Sheralin Pillay said that the family is devastated following the death of her nephew who succumbed to a stab wound to the chest.
She said, “My nephew had been involved in a minor argument with two friends when he was stabbed and robbed of his life. He grew up with two of the three boys involved in the incident and had been working when they began arguing. The two boys left and returned with a third guy who was responsible for my nephew’s death. They returned to Juwayne’s workplace in Eastbury, with weapons (spanners) which they carried but were stopped from attacking him by another boy in the area. However, nobody knew that the third guy had a knife with him – he ran into the shop where Juwayne was working and grabbed him by the neck from behind and brutally stabbed hiin the chest.”
Pillay said that nobody was aware of how severe the wound was and that Juwayne was made to sit down while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. “The suspects were caught and the incident was reported to the police. They were told to sit and wait for the police. Our family was contacted after the ambulance arrived and when we arrived, paramedics were working on him. He was taken to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where he went into cardiac arrest and became unresponsive around 1am on Monday, 30 September. Attempts to save him failed and we sadly lost him that morning. He was being prepped to be transferred to Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital when his heart stopped.”
“My nephew had drifted away from these boys because they always wanted things from him on credit and he had to fit the bill. His dreams and ambitions didn’t align with theirs, so he decided to stay away from them. Our entire family is devastated and we are struggling to accept that my nephew is no more. He had a bright future ahead of him and was excited to start working again after a few months without a job. We are heartbroken and want justice for Juwayne. We want everyone who was involved in his death to be held accountable. We can’t let this go on. The murders that take place in our communities daily are taken lightly. Enough is enough. My nephew’s killer must be severely punished and justice must prevail,” said Pillay.
Pillay described her nephew as a kind and generous person. “He was always kind to everyone, regardless of knowing them or not. He could never say no to anything you ask him to do. If you ask him for any help, no matter how big or small, he wouldn’t even think twice about helping. He was a child who could give you his last cent and sacrifice his happiness for someone else. He had big goals and wanted to renovate his home – that’s why he chose to step away from his friends so that he could gather enough money to do what he wanted for his family. Our lives feel like we’ve come to a halt, we wish this was just a bad dream and Juwayne could still be with us,” added Pillay.
SAPS spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda said, “Police in Phoenix have arrested an 18-year-old suspect for murder in connection with the murder of a 22-year-old man. The victim was allegedly stabbed and was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injury. The suspect appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 30 September and the case was remanded to a later date.”
Vice Chairperson of the Phoenix Community Police Forum, Mark Nadesan said, “This untimely death of a young man at his workplace left us all feeling concerned for the safety of our loved ones as we have seen an increase in cold blooded killings and criminal activity this year. Despite continuous attempts to curb the crime rate, it continues to rear its ugly head. We call upon the justice system to act swiftly and deal with the perpetrator accordingly. On behalf of the Phoenix Community Police Forum, our heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved family. We pray that the Almighty comforts you throughout your period of grief.”
