Teen friends knew their killer – mom

INLSA

Family prepare for the funeral of Farodien Jacobs, 17

Neo Maditla

STAFF REPORTER

ONE of the four Cape Town teenagers shot dead in Uitsig early yesterday has been buried.

Farodien Jacobs, 17, was one of four teenagers found dead in a wendy house in Ravensmead yesterday, each with gunshot wounds to the head.

Farodien’s mother, Nazeema Jacobs, 34, flanked by her sister Jasmine Fitzgibbon and sister-in-law Berverly Thomas, said she was still coming to terms with her son’s death.

She had last seen Farodien on Sunday after they had a family meal to break the Ramadaan fast.

Jacobs said her son and the three other teens – Bradwin Entley, Jadene Paul and Marcelino van Rooyen – were very close.

Noleen Ludick, 40, mother of 17-year-old Marcelino, said she was woken at 11.50pm on Sunday by the sound of gunshots.

“My husband peeked out of the window and we saw the door to the wendy house was still open, the lights were on but there was no movement inside.

“Marcelino always had his friends sleeping over… so we called the police and they were here in 15 minutes.”

Ludick said she was convinced the teenagers were killed by someone they knew because there was no sign of forced entry. “So they must have opened up for him. It must be someone they all knew.”

Sandra Paul, 45, said her 16-year-old son Jadene was best friends with the other three and she had last seen him when he came to eat Sunday lunch a few hours before his death.

Paul said she did not know if her son’s murder was gang-related.

“He was always sweet at home. We don’t know what happened when he was out in the streets.”

Bonita Locck, 39, said she last saw her 21-year-old son, Bradley Entley, two weeks ago.

“He came to check up on me and I asked him to bring Sanika [his two-year-old daughter] with him the next time.”

Bishop Adam Alexandra said he had started Uitsig Care Mission as a way of keeping young people off the streets.

He said gangsterism was a big problem in the area because many families were poor and unemployed, which made them an easy target for gangs.

“We are fighting a losing battle because we can talk to the kids at ground level and ask them to change, but they are not the ones who order the hits [on people’s lives]. Some of these gangs operate like an army where troops are sent out by a general. We have to talk to the generals.”

Police spokesman November Filander said they were investigating and could not speculate whether the shooting was gang-related.

neo.maditla@inl.co.za