Kimberley -
A 30-year-old Squarehill Park resident, Junaide Meyers, died in his sleep after he was hit on the head with a hammer by three men at the Horseshoe Flats.
Meyers was a meter reader at the Sol Plaatje Municipality.
His distraught wife, Bianca, who held him in her arms as he took his last breath, said on Monday that they had come back from spending the day at Riverton with his children from a previous marriage.
“We dropped off his daughter with her mother at the Horseshoe Flats. Suddenly three men started attacking him.”
She said that the attackers were very aggressive and kept on swearing at him but she could not make out what they were accusing him of.
“They started hitting him with a hammer and tried to drag him out of the vehicle but he managed to drive away,” she said.
“He kept on begging them not to hurt me or the children.”
She added that the children were extremely traumatised by the event.
“After the incident he seemed fine, although there was a bruise on his head. He didn’t even complain of a headache.”
She said that during the night she heard what sounded like snoring but she put it down to the fact that he was tired and had been drinking that day.
“Just before dawn, he made a strange sound and I switched on the light. He was bleeding badly and choking on the blood as it flowed out his nose and mouth.”
She said she called him but realised that he was non-responsive.
“I tried to lift him up but he was too heavy for me so I ran to call his father and the ambulance.”
He died before the ambulance arrived. On Monday when the DFA went to visit the family the blood-soaked mattress had been taken outside so that it could be burnt.
Junaide’s father, Nolan Meyers, said on Monday that the entire incident was a huge shock to the family.
“The last time I saw him was on Saturday morning when he went to work,” Nolan said.
The family is dealing with a double tragedy as Junaide’s grandfather also died three weeks ago.
“I had to bury my father and now I have to bury my son. We were just coming to terms with my father’s death and now this.”
Junaide’s wife and children will receive counselling to help them deal with the traumatic incident.
Nolan said on Monday that the three men involved were arrested immediately.
“The three suspects are believed to be notorious gangsters at the Horseshoe Flats. What my son was doing with these people is beyond me.
“Junaide was an honourable man. He was sensitive and kind. He never fought or even quarrelled with anyone. He preferred to stay at home with his family,” Nolan added.
“It is a hurtful to lose a loved one in such a horrible manner.”
Police spokesman, Lieutenant Sergio Kock, said yesterday that the Kimberley police were investigating a case of murder after Meyers was found dead in his bed on Sunday in Carnation Avenue in Squarehill Park.
“The investigation pertaining to the case is in a preliminary stage hence the police cannot divulge any more information. All information gathered is currently being investigated.
“The autopsy report regarding the case is also awaited upon.”
He added that the police arrested three men, two aged 27 and one aged 21, in connection to the murder. “The suspects will be appearing in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court today,” Kock said.
All information regarding the case can be forwarded to Detective Warrant Officer Kenneth Lamoen at 082 302 0407 or 10111.
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