Durban - Using his body as a shield to protect his sons from an agitated, knife-wielding home invader, a Palmview, Phoenix father has been hailed a hero.
Raman Angamuthu “Barney” Munian, 68, was fatally stabbed when two men stormed into their home on Thursday morning.
He was about to leave for an appointment at McCord Hospital and left his car idling in the driveway.
“He walked back into the house to wake up my brother, Shameshen, to lock the gate,” said his eldest son, Deveshen Munian, 38.
“At this point, two guys jumped over the wall and followed my dad into the house. They rushed straight in and grabbed him in the passage.”
Deveshen ran out when he heard his dad scream and saw him in a tussle with one of the intruders. The second one fled.
He managed to lock the intruder in the bathroom while his father went to call a neighbour for assistance.
“The suspect tried to force the burglar guard off the bathroom window but failed. Things went silent for a bit and the next thing we knew, there was a crowbar coming through the door, trying to force the door open.
“He managed to break the lock but my brother and I still held on to the door.”
Deveshen said when his dad returned with the neighbour, the intruder overpowered them and opened the door. He had a gun in one hand, and an Okapi knife in the other.
“At this stage my dad pushed my brother and me out of the way. The guy hit him on his head with the gun, before my brother could hit it away. A fight ensued between the five of us.”
The brothers restrained the man outside the house, but when they went back inside they found their father slumped on the floor in a pool of blood.
Raman was rushed to hospital with a 9cm stab wound on the left arm, a laceration above his eye and stab wound on the chest. He died on Thursday night.
“We are absolutely devastated. He was everything to us. He was a humble, quiet person who was loved by the entire community,” said his daughter, Pam Naicker.
“To lose my dad in such an horrific way after he battled cancer is heartbreaking. He was a fighter from the beginning to the end. He is indeed our hero.”
Deveshen is engaged to social media personality Natashia “Bash With Tash” Portrag, who described Raman as a “neighbourhood hero”.
A 37-year-old man is expected to appear in court this week.