Durban - ‘Hello tell lynette she lose... and you to (sic).” This is the chilling message Rinaldo Elijah Kubair’s grandmother received via WhatsApp moments before the man who the little boy had looked up to allegedly strangled him in full view of his younger sister on Sunday night.
As the 7-year-old’s life ebbed away in Caneside, Phoenix, his mother Lynette, who was at her own home in Westham, had little idea of the turmoil that was to follow.
The children’s parents are separated but, say family, had maintained a good relationship, “for the children”.
As the devastated family bade farewell to Elijah at his funeral on Tuesday, his dad, Pravin Kubair, 29, appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on a charge of murder. The allegations against him have yet to be tested and he was not asked to plead.
Rinaldo Elijah Kubair was strangled allegedly by his father. Picture: Supplied
Moments before pallbearers brought in Elijah’s white coffin, his 4-year-old sister, curled up in the lap of an older child, sobbed uncontrollably.
Dressed in black, mourners sat under a white marquee, shaking their heads in disbelief as they spoke of the tragedy.
“How can something like this happen to a child? This is a cruel world we live in,” said one.
Elijah, a Grade 2 pupil at Esselen Heights Primary, whose dream was to one day become a pastor, spent the weekends along with his sister, at their dad’s home, his family told POST.
They returned to their mother on Sunday evenings.
Family and friends gathered to pay their respects to Elijah Kubair.Picture Leon Lestrade
When the children did not return this past weekend, Lynette contacted the police, who helped search for them.
According to a source close to the police investigation, the children left their dad’s Caneside home at around 9pm on Sunday.
“Police searched for the accused and, at around 1am they found him and both of the children near a sports field on Northside, Bellside in Caneside.”
The boy was being carried, and the girl was walking beside him.
“When questioned about the boy, he maintained that he was asleep. When the police forcefully conducted an inspection on the child, it was established that the child was unresponsive.”
The source said the child had been rushed to a nearby clinic where he was declared dead on arrival.
Pravin Kubair has appeared in court on a charge of murder.
“The doctor showed the police a laceration around the child’s neck which is consistent with strangulation. A physical examination was conducted on the little girl and revealed no signs of injury on her.”
Describing Elijah as a loving child and respectful child, his grandmother, Tracy Sinayhakah, said their lives had come to a standstill.
“I never thought something like this would happen, even when I saw the message, ‘Tell Lynette she is going to lose’. I was confused by the message and never thought the children would be harmed because he loved them very much.”
Sinayhakah said she believed that the person who had killed her grandson had wanted her daughter to feel pain and to be left alone.
“He did not want to see her happy. The only thing that would cause her unbearable pain was if something happened to her children.”
Elijah’s sister, she said, spoke only of her brother. “She knows everything that happened to her brother. All she has been saying since being reunited with us is that ‘my brother is dead, Elijah is dead’.
“It is very traumatic for us,” said a tearful Sinayhakah.
Elijah’s mother Lynette broke down in tears as she spoke of the son she would no longer watch grow into the religious man she believed he would one day have become.
Family and friends gathered to pay their final respects to 7 year old Rinaldo Elijah Kubair. Picture Leon Lestrade.
“My boy always loved church and every Sunday he would wake up early to attend services. Elijah wanted to be a pastor and he loved playing with the instruments,” she sobbed. “I am so proud of him.”
When news of Elijah’s death broke, neighbours gathered at the family’s home in Westham to offer their support.
Kam Naicker said Elijah had grown up in front of her and was like her own grandson.
“I fondly remember him laughing and playing in his yard with his sister and whenever he saw me he would run towards me to give me a hug. The neighbourhood is not going to be the same now that he is gone.”
Indrain Pillay said he was shocked when he heard of Elijah’s death.
“I could not believe the child was killed and even now we are struggling to come to terms with the loss. He was very pleasant and respectful, especially to adults.”
Maggie Pillay said the child would often spend time at her home.
“It is sad. I pray that God helps the family during this time.”
The principal of Esselen Heights Primary, Vicky Naidoo, said staff and pupils were shocked and saddened.
“When I heard he had passed on and the manner in which he died, I felt a cold sensation run through my body. He was a pupil who was developing well academically and he had a bright future.”
Naidoo said the school was planning to hold a prayer for Elijah.
Phoenix CPF chairperson Umesh Singh said Elijah’s death had rocked the community of Phoenix and brought back memories of the gruesome murder of another local boy, Shahiel Sewpujun, 9.
In November, the Durban High Court convicted Shahiel's two relatives, Kavitha Naicker and her mother, Rajwanthie Hariepersadh, of murder.
They had hit him on the head with a chisel and when he did not die, he was gagged for 15 minutes until he stopped breathing. His body was dumped in a manhole.
Singh said it was sad to see such horrors in the community.
He urged locals who needed help with any type of family problems to visit the Victim Friendly Centre at the Phoenix SAPS for counselling.
Pravin Kubair has been remanded in police custody until June for further investigation.