Update

GEORGE NEWS - "He didn't die the way he lived."

These were the words of a heartbroken Jermaine Lee, after his younger brother, Manfred (36), was senselessly murdered in Pacaltsdorp on Saturday evening, 31 May.

For Jermaine and the rest of the family, Manfred's death is a bitter pill to swallow. Manfred died at about 20:30 after he was stabbed in his neck near a friend's house in the vicinity of Kloof Street.

"Eyewitnesses told me Manfred had gone outside to calm down a man [the suspect] who was shouting, swearing and causing a scene outside his friend's house. He apparently approached him to ask him to stop. There was no fight, and Manfred didn't expect what happened next. I was told the man threatened to stab him, and then he did," said Karen Arendse, Manfred's girlfriend and the mother of their five-year-old son.

Manfred had gone to his friend's house to watch rugby. Fifteen minutes before he was killed, he still spoke to Karen on WhatsApp. According to her, Manfred rarely went out on his own; this was the first in a very long time. "He mostly stayed home with our son, Kian. The little guy believes Jesus will fix his dad and bring him back. He wants to know who will take him to school now. He doesn't quite understand," said Karen.

She describes her life partner as a devoted family man, who had green fingers and loved animals. 

"He was our breadwinner and had recently started a new job as a welder. He didn't associate with the wrong crowd. His death, and the way he was taken from us, is a huge shock. We never expected it. The loss is immense, and his death leaves a great void in our hearts. He was a wonderful father to our son," she said.

Southern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Chris Spies said the murder is being investigated. "Preliminary information indicates that an argument broke out between the parties involved, during which the victim sustained a stab wound to the neck. He was declared dead on the scene by paramedics," said Spies.

An 18-year-old suspect was arrested shortly after the incident, but not before some members of the community had got hold of him.

He appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday 3 June with visible stitches on his head. It is believed the young suspect has had previous run-ins with the law and has already appeared in court on serious charges in the recent past. His name is being withheld at this stage until these charges, of which one is allegedly a sexual offence he committed when he was a minor, can be confirmed.

Residents of Pacaltsdorp told George Herald that the suspect had been seen in the streets earlier that afternoon acting very aggressively and had allegedly stabbed two other people on the same day.

He remains in custody and will return to the dock for a bail application on Monday 9 June.

Funeral arrangements

Manfred will be laid to rest at the Uniting Reformed Church (VGK) at 10:00 on Saturday 7 June. Before that there will be a service at his house at 29 Unity Walk at 08:30.

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