Durban – On the morning of January 26, 2016, the Donaldson family’s lives were changed for ever when 55-year-old father and husband Gordon Donaldson was murdered in a violent home invasion in Westville North.
One year later, the case remains unsolved and the family has received no closure.
On the day he was killed, Donaldson awoke to the sound of a brick crashing through a window. He jumped out of bed and was confronted by a gang of robbers.
Trying to protect his wife, Debbie, Donaldson grabbed a knobkierie and took them on. He was stabbed and shot in the bloody battle that ensued.
He died and the men escaped with nothing of value. A suspect was later arrested.
But, according to a letter from the National Prosecuting Authority, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions decided against prosecuting him due to insufficient evidence.
The Donaldson family feels let down and as though – somewhere along the way – the case was bungled.
Speaking to The Mercury on Wednesday, on the eve of the anniversary of Donaldson’s death, they said they had not been kept informed about the investigation.
Debbie said the last year had been a tough one and her husband’s death had left a gaping hole in the family. He “was a cherished brother and uncle,” she said.
Asked if they had been able to find any closure, she said: “None at all. We will only find closure once we get a conviction.”
Debbie and her husband had two children and a grandson, whom she said was “the apple of Gordon’s eye”.
“We’d been so looking forward to watching him grow up and, of course, having more grandchildren,” she said, her voice faltering slightly.
She still lives in the same house in which her husband was killed. Asked why she had chosen not to move, she said: “Because I won’t let them beat me.”
She and her husband had only just moved in when he was killed. “It was our little dream home,” she said.
There have been five murders – including Donaldson’s – in Westville over the past year.
It is understood that no convictions have yet been secured.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said investigations were continuing, but that no arrests had been made in connection with the murders of Gary Mackay, Pierre van Schalkwyk or Themba Mqikwa.
Zwane said a 26-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the murder of Paresh Bodalia – killed on November 5, 2016 – and that the matter was before the courts.
A police officer with experience in the Westville area said it was a concern. One of the problems, he said, was that officers on the ground were under pressure from senior managers to make arrests.
He said that in some instances officers were being made to arrest suspects before they were able to build strong cases against them, and this was one of the reasons they were “getting off”. He said they needed the opportunity to gather proper evidence – in the form of DNA, fingerprints and/or property – against a suspect before making an arrest.
He also said crime intelligence was an issue and that specialised crime intelligence units and the units which were supposed to effect arrests were not in communication with one another.
There was also a serious lack of resources. He said before the Cato Manor organised crime unit had been disbanded, it had dealt effectively with these kinds of cases.
That unit, he went on, spent years building relationships with informers and had the resources required to investigate such cases. He also said recent intervention from the city – to address the violent crime – should have come months ago.
January 26, 2016: Gordon Donaldson was murdered at his home in Gardenia Place. An arrest was made, but the case was withdrawn in court.
January 31, 2016: Pierre van Schalkwyk was murdered at his home in Alistair Road. No arrests were made.
September 3, 2016: Gary Mackay was killed in his Duncan Road home. No arrests were made.
November 5, 2016: Paresh Bodalia was murdered in the driveway of his Chearsley Road residence. Nthuthuko Nene was arrested and the matter is before the court.
January 21, 2017: Security officer Themba Mqikwa was murdered outside a Matapan Drive residence. No arrests made as yet.