FAMILY of Ajith “Hemmie” Durga are one step closer to getting closure, now that his body has been identified and laid to rest.
Durga, 57, from Reservoir Hills, was allegedly hijacked near the Umgeni Bird Park on July 3.
The father of two worked for Ganga Plumbers in New Germany for more than 10 years. He was reported missing by his employers.
Durga was travelling in a Toyota Hilux bakkie at the time and the vehicle was found abandoned by a tracking company near Inanda Dam shortly after he was reported missing.
Police and private security company Reaction Unit South Africa searched the area for him, while his family circulated missing person’s posters and searched hospitals and mortuaries in the hope of finding him.
Jenita Durga, his sister-in-law, said on July 16 they had a breakthrough in the investigation when residents living in the vicinity of where Durga’s vehicle had been found informed police of a bad smell emanating from the area.
“Police searched the area and found a body behind a make-shift tuck shop. The body was wrapped in a blanket and clothing belonging to my brother-in-law was found next to it. The investigating officer contacted one of Ajith’s brothers that evening, requesting that he come to the scene to identify the body.
“His brother did not go that night due to safety concerns. He went to the Phoenix Mortuary in the morning. When he saw the body, he was unable to identify if it was Ajith or not. We requested that a DNA test be performed through the State. But, due to the long wait for results we opted to get the test done privately.”
Jenita said a DNA sample was taken from Durga’s brother and the body for testing.
“Last Tuesday afternoon, we received confirmation that the body was in fact Ajith’s. We do not have the cause of death as yet and we are still waiting for the post-mortem results,” she said.
Jenita said finding his body and being able to perform his last rites had given their family some closure.
“It has been traumatising for the family because we waited for more than a month to find his body. But it is still not over because we don’t know how he died and why. Many of our family members went to grief counselling to deal with all the emotions they were feeling due to the circumstances around his death.
“During my speech at his funeral, I said that a link in a chain of five brothers had been broken. Now, there is this huge void in our family. My in-laws passed on about 16 years ago and all five brothers always stayed together. They have no sisters.”
Jenita said the family were trying to be strong by holding on to the good memories.
“He had a smile that could light up a room. He was a kind, jovial and extremely hard working man. Whenever he heard someone in the family was ill he would call them to check up on them. He was never too busy for anyone. Ajith would always tell us to take care of ourselves.”
She said the family were hoping for justice.
“What we do know is that he was hijacked. His wallet was found in the vehicle. All his cash and cards were taken. When I look at the state of crime in this country, I feel that we are just not safe. Ajith simply left home to go to work and this happened. Something needs to be done to address crime. When we look at social media, daily people are going missing. The law needs to toughen up. Criminals are having it easy and they think they can get away with anything.
“Ajith was taken from us in such a cruel manner by people who I can only describe as evil. We can only pray that the culprits are caught. We thank everyone for their ongoing prayers and support during this difficult time.”