Dad killed while on the phone with his son

Monogran “Nik” Govender

Monogran “Nik” Govender

Published Feb 23, 2017

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Durban - One minute a Durban man was engaged in small talk with his father over the phone and the next, he heard his dad’s screams as he was being stabbed, allegedly by his gardener.

Monogran “Nik” Govender, 66, a builder from Shallcross, was stabbed three times on the right side of his torso and died at the scene.

His attacker fled with his wallet.

Police spokeswoman Captain Nqobile Gwala said swift action by Chatsworth detectives led to the arrest of a 19-year-old suspect within hours of the murder on Saturday. A second suspect, 23, was arrested later.

The pair are expected to appear in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court today. Family spokesman and Govender’s childhood friend, Danny Bob, described Saturday morning’s attack as "senseless".

“Nik employed this man to clean his garden and while the suspect was outside, Nik was inside chatting on the phone to his son (Shaldon). He was seated in the lounge and we suspect the man attacked him from behind, stabbing him three times on his side.

“All he said was, ‘son, I am being attacked’ and the line went dead. The son contacted a neighbour, who alerted the police to what was happening. The suspect, however, fled the scene. When the son arrived at the house, the police were already there.”

Bob said the incident had shattered the family.

“Nik (a widower) lived alone and was close to his son and two daughters. He chatted to them telephonically almost every day. The killing has traumatised them.”

He described Govender as being understanding and a quiet person, who trusted people easily.

“He worked as a builder, so he always hired people and he believed in helping others and giving them a chance in life.”

Govender’s friends took to social media to express their anger over his murder.

“It’s sad when our elderly have no choice but hire people who look for work. We feel sorry for people who do not know how to earn an honest living.

"I pray the police were proactive when this happened and not like when I lost a family member in a similar incident and they only pitched a few hours later,” said one Facebook user.

“Don’t become a statistic to crime... Be proactive and let’s stand together,” said another.

Police are appealing to residents to carry out reference checks before employing people such as gardeners.

“They must also request the ID document so that they can create a file on people they are employing,” said Gwala.

Last month, Merebank man Allen Arumugam, 52, employed a local gardener to help him clean his yard and while offloading the dirt at a dump site, the man allegedly stabbed him several times before fleeing.

Luckily Arumugam survived the attack.

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