DURBAN - PHOENIX unrest murder accused Jeetendra Jaikissoon would have been in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, listening intently as his lawyers argued the authenticity of a new post-mortem result.
Instead, he was cremated at the Clare Estate Crematorium on Tuesday after falling ill during his incarceration at the Department of Correctional Services Westville. He died on Friday at the King Edward Hospital.
Jaikissoon, 39, and brothers Ned and Dylan Govender were awaiting trial in connection with the death of Mondli Majola during the July unrest. They were applying for bail while facing charges of murder and attempted murder. The new post-mortem results delayed the bail hearing further. At present, the surviving brothers have spent 90 days behind bars.
Family spokesperson Pastor Mervyn Reddy said they were still awaiting the post-mortem results.
Outside Jaikissoon’s house in Phoenix, also the scene where Majola died, a banner was strung between light poles which read: “Hero’s (sic) don’t die they live on. Gone but not forgotten. Farewell.”
Some mourners wore T-shirts bearing the same words as the banner. Jaikissoon’s coffin was draped with a red Liverpool Football Club banner.
Jaikissoon was among 31 people arrested and awaiting trial in connection with the unrest killings in Phoenix. After his court appearance last Wednesday, he took ill. Jaikissoon had been on chronic medication for diabetes and hypertension before his arrest.
Reddy said once the funeral proceedings were over, the family would demand a full explanation from the department on allegations that wardens neglected Jaikissoon’s request for medical assistance.
During court proceedings, after viewing CCTV footage of the Majola incident, his lawyer Chris Gounden argued that Jaikissoon had not harmed Majola. However, the State said Jaikissoon acted in common purpose with other accused.
Department of Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said a detailed investigation was under way.
“The remand detainee was transferred from Durban Management Area to King Edward VIII Hospital after complaining about difficulty in breathing and chest pains. Our sincere condolences go to the family of the deceased.”
Police Minister Bheki Cele said that on July 12, community members in Phoenix set up blockades and patrolled the neighbourhood streets after the start of mass looting and unrest in Durban and Gauteng.
He said the problem started when some people operating the checkpoints turned to vigilantism and started racially profiling people, preventing them from entering the suburb.
Cele said 36 people died in Phoenix. The death toll stood at 251 people in KZN. In Gauteng, 42 murders were being investigated.
Daily News