Durban - FROM a happy family to a broken home, a pregnant mother said her final goodbye to the father of her unborn baby.
Caleb Daniel, 23, was shot in the chest and died on Saturday.
Daniel and his partner, Shantal Govender, who was one month pregnant, were left stranded after their car broke down at Estuary Drive in
Verulam.
The couple were en-route to Palmview, in Phoenix, to visit relatives.
They were accosted by two armed men who demanded cellphones and cash.
They shot Daniel and assaulted Govender before fleeing on foot.
Prem Balram, of private security company Reaction Unit SA, said an officer noticed the couple’s blue VW Golf parked in the opposite direction to traffic.
He stopped to check on the vehicle and saw two men fleeing into the dense bushes.
“The hysterical female told the officer that two men approached and shot her boyfriend multiple times after the vehicle stalled.”
Daniel died at the scene and Govender was treated.
His funeral was held on Tuesday at Simunye Ministries in Phoenix.
He was cremated at the Verulam Crematorium.
Shandin Govender, Caleb’s cousin, said his uncle and aunt, Derek and Sandra were devastated, as was Caleb’s older sister, Shinead Nicodia.
“He is truly gone too soon. I will always cherish our childhood memories at my granny’s house in Brookdale. We climbed trees, played in the streets and fell from walls.”
He said that over the past decade he watched his cousin mature.
“Instead of blaming situations and circumstances, he always found a silver lining. We shared many talks over the years, and even those matured with time. Our conversations ranged from competitions about who spoke to the most girls, to speaking about meeting the one and having a family one day.”
Shandin added he would not forget their family’s joy when Caleb told them he was going to be a father.
“We received the news a month ago. I remember the joy in his mother’s voice as she called me from overseas.
“Nobody expected that a month later we would be saying our final goodbye.”
He said Govender was struggling to cope.
“All we can do is continue to pray for God’s peace and hand to be over her throughout her pregnancy. But we are truly thankful for her safety and protection throughout this ordeal.”
He said that although he did not understand the motive behind the killing, he would have to learn to accept it.
Police spokesperson, Captain Nqobile Gwala, said a murder case was opened.
She said at this stage it was unclear what was taken from the vehicle.