Durban -
A young holidaymaker from the southern Cape was killed outside a Durban night club on Saturday apparently while trying to help a woman who was being mugged.
Nathan van Reenen, 16, from George, had been stabbed after leaving the popular party spot, Tiger Tiger, said police spokesman Thulani Zwane.
He said Nathan had seen a woman being robbed. “He leapt out of the car to assist the woman while the suspect tried to flee,” Zwane said.
The teenager pursued and caught the mugger, while the woman ran away.
“During a scuffle, it is alleged that the suspect stabbed Van Reenen in the neck. He was taken to hospital where he later died of his injuries.”
Nathan, a pupil at York High School in George, was visiting his older brother, Luke.
Close friends described him as “extremely caring”, someone who “never judged a person” and “always welcomed people with open arms”.
In a foreboding status Nathan posted on his Facebook wall in 2011, he wrote: “Being mugged is not fun, trust me I know”, before describing how he had been mugged outside the Spur in his home town.
At the time the perpetrator allegedly told Nathan he would kill him if he did not give him his phone. In that mugging the boy was able to escape by shouting at a passerby to help him
Last night the Van Reenen family declined to comment.
Zwane appealed to anyone who might have seen something to come forward or contact the investigating officer Warrant Officer Raven Mundhree of Durban Central on 031 325 4660 or 082 783 4760.
Information may also be given to Crime Stop at 08600 10111.
The Mercury