GEORGE NEWS - The pain of losing a child can never heal, each day brings its own memories and it is still unbelievable that my son has left us." These are the words of a grieving mother, Qhamisa Thyuthuza, whose son was murdered by a group of local boys.
Avuye Thyuthuza (15) was killed, allegedly by a group of boys, not far from his home in Thembalethu on Easter Sunday, 1 April.
He was a Grade 9 learner at PW Botha College and his death shocked his schoolmates and close friends, who are still struggling to cope with his passing.
According to one of his friends, who was with him on that fateful night and witnessed the incident, Avuye was murdered because of his clothes and it was an act of jealousy.
His friend explained that in the neighbourhood they are known as Havocs, a name they gave themselves because of their taste for fashion and setting trends in the township with their flamboyant looks.
"Among us, Avuye was the most fashionable. He loved clothes and always followed new trends. On the day of his murder, he had just bought a new pair of sneakers which were very nice and eye-catching. We had previous altercations with the same group that murdered Avuye but it never escalated to anything more than a confrontation of words."
He said that they were not a group of gangsters that carry knives or any other dangerous objects, they just simply loved clothes.
"Before Avuye was murdered, he was celebrating his new sneakers and dancing ahead of us as we walked the street at night. We met these boys, the Milanos, who started to chase and attack us. Unfortunately, Avuye was in front and he was caught," said the friend.
He said Avuye tried to run, but was stabbed in the head and fell. The Milanos then all took out knives and stabbed him many times. "We came back to rescue him as the Milanos continued to stab him. They eventually ran away and we picked him up and an ambulance was called."
Avuye succumbed to his wounds at the George Hospital just hours after he was admitted. He is described by his friends as neat and loving and someone who loved clothes a lot.
Avuye's parents, Qhamisa and Mncedisi Thyuthuza, are trying to come to terms with their son's death. Photo: Zolani Sinxo
His father, Mncedisi Thyuthuza, said Avuye was a son, a friend, a brother and a person he enjoyed time with. He was strong in heart and had big dreams for his life.
"Losing Avuye in this manner and seeing him being stabbed like that, I don't wish other parents to experience what we have gone through. I also plead with his friends to base their friendship on education and support in each other, and to stop going out at night, because they are making their parents worried. What happened to Avuye is very sad. May it not happen to any other child," he said.
Avuye was buried on Saturday 7 April. Six boys were arrested in connection with his death and they appeared in the George Magistrate's Court on 5 April. One was released as he could not be linked to the case.
The other five boys remain in custody for a provisional bail application on 26 April.
This article follows last week's George Herald front-page article "Youth gang kills boy". The family would like to state that Avuye was not a gang member as stated in the article last week.
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