Cape Town - A Mitchells Plain man is preparing for the fight of his life after being charged with the murder of his drug addict son.
Sedick Abrahams, 62, admits he stabbed his son Clinton, 28, in the chest during a heated argument in January over a plate of food.
The distraught pensioner says his family has been through hell with his son’s addiction over the past 13 years and says he never meant to kill the young man, but was only defending himself.
Sedick says Clinton was a friendly guy who was popular among their neighbours in Tafelsig, but in his teens he started using tik.
“He also used other drugs, but I am not sure what it was,” the dad of three says.
He says over the years, Clinton’s addiction got worse and he started stealing from his parents’ home and even attacked both of them.
“He stole clothes, the kettle, cups, saucers everything and when he came into the house he would just want food or money and if we didn’t give it, then he would attacks us,” Sedick says.
“He hit me with pots and even tried to throw boiling water on his mother, Myrtle, 53. I had to stop him.
“He terrorised us for years and we tried to get the police to come out and help, but they never responded.”
On Wednesday, 31 January, Sedick says he was hanging washing on the line when Clinton came home and asked for food.
Clinton Abrahams Picture: Monique Duval/DailyVoice
“His food was on the table and I told him where it was, but he wanted me to give it to him. When he uses drugs, he just goes on and he started to fight with me. He picked up a knife and I was scared he was going to hurt me.”
Sedick says they fought and he got the knife from Clinton, but accidentally stabbed him in the chest.
“It was only the tip of the knife (that went in) and he ran out. He fell on the corner and they took him to the clinic. Later we found out he died and the police came here to arrest me,” he says.
Sedick spent the night in the holding cells at Mitchells Plain Police Station and appeared in court the next day, where he was granted R500 bail.
They buried Clinton two weeks later and he still cannot believe what had happened.
“I love my son and my family and I worked more than 20 years in a clothing factory to support them,” he says.
“I never meant to kill him, I was only afraid for my own life and now I am facing [a] murder [charge].”
The grandfather will make his second appearance in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court on 11 April where he is expected to enter a plea.
He has been assigned a Legal Aid lawyer as he cannot afford the legal fees.