Durban - Instead of celebrating his daughter's 13th birthday on Thursday, the family of Junaid Sheik gathered for his funeral.
Sheik, 34, a call centre agent, was shot in the chest during an alleged dispute with his ex-wife's partner, Wayne Manuel, at their home in Sastri Park, Phoenix, last Wednesday.
The father of three, who is from Northcroft, also in Phoenix, died at the scene. He was buried at the Ottawa Muslim Cemetery.
Manuel, 31, was arrested by Phoenix SAPS with the assistance of officers from KZN VIP Security. He was charged with murder and appeared in the Verulam Magistrate's Court on Monday. The case was adjourned to December 14 for a bail hearing.
Manuel was remanded in custody at Westville Prison.
Riaz Sheik Hoosen, the deceased's brother, said Sheik and his ex-wife, Samantha Wheeler, were separated and going through a divorce. The couple have three children, Jenelle, 13, Shenelle, 10, and Xavier, 6.
"The children lived with my brother. He told us that Samantha wanted to see the kids before Jenelle's birthday on Thursday and that he was taking them to visit her. He left the children at the house with Samantha and Wayne and went to see a neighbour near their home about the sale of a fridge."
Hoosen claimed that moments later the children ran to the neighbour's house to tell Sheik that their mother and Wayne were fighting. "He returned to the home and there was an argument between him and Wayne. This is when Junaid was shot. Shenelle told us she had seen her father being killed.
"Words cannot describe how we feel right now. The accused took away a person who was a father, a son, and a brother. Junaid was the youngest in our family. He was our baby, the youngest of six siblings."
His said his mother, Amina Bibi, was now taking care of the children.
"What hurts us the most is seeing the children in pain and watching them cry."
He said Jenelle's birthday could from now on be filled with sorrow.
"This was a milestone birthday for Jenelle. My brother planned to have a party at their home. But instead, we said goodbye to him. He loved his children and never made them anyone else's responsibility. He was both a mother and father."
He said the children were traumatised.
"The life they knew with their father is no more. Shenelle is not able to sleep. We are trying to be strong but we want the person responsible to be kept behind bars."
Captain Nqobile Gwala, a provincial police spokesperson, said a case of murder is being investigated by Phoenix SAPS.
The Post