Where is Rajiv Narandas?

Published May 15, 2016

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 Durban - Where is Rajiv Narandas? That was the question doing the rounds, while prison authorities, police and Narandas’s family did not know of his whereabouts by Saturday afternoon at 5.30pm.

Narandas was due to start a 15-year sentence at Westville Prison, but authorities said there was no sign of him at their facility.

Read: Possible warrant of arrest for Narandas

A Westville Prison warder, who did not want to be named, said Narandas had not checked into prison on Saturday. “He was expected, but had not arrived. A cell has been prepared for him.

“I heard SAPS didn’t process all the necessary documents for him to be handed over, others are saying the documents are ready.”

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Correctional Services spokesman, Thulani Mdluli, said they had no information.

Read: Narandas has op instead of going to jail

“It is not our responsibility to fetch an offender. If he is still outside of prison, we won’t know anything about him,” said Mdluli.

Deputy regional commissioner, Lucky Mthethwa, was also unaware of Narandas’s whereabouts.

“I called our department’s area commissioner and he confirmed that Narandas is not at Westville Prison. SAPS and his lawyer haven’t brought him in,” said Mthethwa.

SAPS spokesman, Major Thulani Zwane, also said it was not their responsibility to deliver Narandas.

However, Narandas’s mother, Rosanne and attorney Cliff Alexander claimed Narandas had reported to the prison.

Rosanne said her son was “prepared mentally” for prison life and had even packed his bags, earlier this week, but his poor health prevented that from happening. Narandas was with close family at his Westville home during a breakfast gathering on Saturday.

Rosanne said they had said their “goodbyes” when police fetched him from their home.

The clang of prison cell doors shutting had been looming ominously for Narandas, ever since he was convicted of murder in 2014.

The charge related to the death of Veenand Singh, whom Narandas stabbed during a brawl outside a Sandton nightclub in 2008.

He was initially sentenced to 18 years imprisonment but that was reduced to 15 after an unsuccessful appeal to have his conviction overturned.

He was due to be imprisoned more than a week ago, but his stay in prison was put on hold after he paid R100 000 bail and awaited the outcome of his Constitutional Court application to have his conviction and sentence set aside.

His application in the Constitutional Court was rejected on Tuesday and Narandas was given 24 hours to hand himself over to the Department of Correctional Services officials. Narandas was a patient at the Life Westville Hospital at the time. He took a voluntary discharge from the hospital to report to prison the next day. But that did not happen. Narandas’s doctor had him readmitted to hospital and on Friday he underwent surgery.

When the Sunday Tribune visited the hospital on Friday afternoon, a sombre-looking Narandas, dressed in a hospital gown, was seen smoking in a designated area. Later nurses told reporters he was not accepting visitors.

He was discharged later that evening.

A concerned Rosanne said: “Rajiv is prepared mentally for prison life but not physically.”

She was referring to Narandas’s poor health, which delayed his detention this week.

Rosanne and her husband, Krish, lost their eldest son Rikesh in 2014 when he died at a young age.

“The impact of Rajiv going to prison has not dawned on me yet. It’s tough that he has to go, but at least I can still visit him.”

She hoped her first visit would be on Sunday, but was uncertain whether her son would be kept in the prison’s hospital or a cell, because there has been no clear communication from prison authorities.

“The prison authorities still hadn’t processed the relevant documents when he was taken away by police yesterday.”

Sunday Tribune

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