DURBAN jewellery store owner Balkrishna “Krish” Narandas, 71, died at his Westville home on Monday.
Rosanne Narandas, his wife, said he had been ill for more than a year. He was discharged from hospital on Friday and had been recovering at home.
Narandas had two children. His eldest son Rikesh died in 2014 and Rajiv, his youngest, is currently serving a 15-year jail sentence at Westville Prison for murder.
Narandas had taken over the family-owned jewellery store in Durban that was founded by his grandfather Valabdas in 1915.
His nephew Aashir Narandas, who has taken over the jewellery business, said his uncle had studied jewellery design and manufacturing for five years in Germany.
He then joined his brother Bob and his father in one of their stores in what was then Grey Street (Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street).
“Him joining the company and the addition of his skills set them up to become one of the first independent jewellers in Durban to manufacture diamond jewellery. They went on to employ a team of skilled goldsmiths and designers to produce cutting edge, handcrafted gold and diamond jewellery,” Aashir said.
The funeral is expected to take place at the Clare Estate crematorium tomorrow afternoon.
At the time of publication, the Department of Correctional Services had not confirmed if Rajiv Narandas had been granted permission to attend the funeral.