By Miranda Andrew
Marc Joubert and Natasha Stoltz were deeply in love and had many dreams for a "bright and happy" future together.
They had set a wedding date and booked the venue - a year in advance.
Now, Natasha and Marc's close-knit family are preparing to bury Marc on Friday after his murder at the weekend.
He was gunned down at a birthday party at the St Tropez Restaurant in Musgrave, Durban, on Saturday night. He was taken to Entabeni Hospital where he later died.
"At the hospital, when they told us his heart had stopped, we just felt cold and empty. We were absolutely devastated," Marc's father, Gary Joubert, told the Daily News on Wednesday. It was the first time he had broken his silence on the shooting and death of his son.
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"He was my best friend and there's just no amount of words that can explain how we felt at that point," he said softly, as Marc's distraught mother Gill, and sister Shannon, broke down in tears during the interview. They said their pain would never go away.
"He was a fun-loving person, who had a magnificent personality and respected everyone he met. He had so many friends. You cannot even count them all. And if you had met him you would have loved him too," said Joubert.
Natasha was also shattered, Shannon said.
"The future she planned with my brother has been torn apart," said Shannon.
Joubert, who is a former Natal rugby player, said his son grew up in the rugby world and thoroughly enjoyed life. "He loved the outdoors - wildlife, animals, camping and the surf."
And Marc loved animals so much that while he was on holiday in Mauritius with Natasha, he found an orphan puppy and decided to adopt it.
"He went to Paws, an animal right's organisation, filled out some documents and arranged for the puppy to be flown back to South Africa. He called it Phoenix after the Mauritian beer," Shannon recalled.
But, no matter what has happened, the family maintained that they still loved Africa and South Africa.
Joubert said they travelled to Namibia, Botswana and Zambia and were planning more trips.
"Even when I go abroad, I always sell South Africa to everyone I meet.
"And though this incident has ripped my family apart, I still love my dear, beautiful South Africa."
He said they had no plans to leave the country.
"We have everything here, but it's just that crime - and especially violent crime - is a big problem," he said. "Government needs to face reality."
Comforting each other, Gill and her husband agreed that this was every parent's worst nightmare.
"When we wake up each morning, we feel empty.
"Marc was our only son and our first born. This is a parent's nightmare. I would have never dreamt that my child would go before me," said Gill.
A bitter-sweet consolation for the family is that two strangers have now received the gift of vision after Marc's corneas were donated after he passed away.
The family said they were extremely appreciative of the overwhelming support they have received from family, close friends and strangers.
Marc's funeral will take place on Friday at His Church in Cowies Hill at 3pm.
- This article was originally published on page 3 of Daily News on May 31, 2007
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