Junaid was buried at the Klip Road Cemetery in Lavender Hill, after he lost his three-year long battle against cancer, and died on New Year’s Day.
With hundreds of mourners in attendance, speakers described Junaid as having fought his condition with amazing resilience, as polite, outgoing, pleasant and always with a positive outlook on life.
Junaid had spent the last three years of his life in and out of hospital, but he wouldn’t flinch at the discomfort and pain of the endless needle pricks.
De Lille told the mourners she would keep a drawing Junaid did as a reminder of “this brave young man. I will never forget him”.
Human Settlement Minister Lindiwe Sisulu constantly embraced Junaid’s distraught mother Monique. An emotional Sisulu took to the stage to pay tribute to him and encouraged the boy’s family to stay strong as he would have wanted them to.
Sisulu said three months after her husband died of pancreatic cancer, “the trauma the family went through in three short months heightened my sensitivity to cancer”.
After her husband’s burial, Sisulu said she was touched by a front-page article of this “beautiful and brave” little boy on the front pages of the Cape Times. She then contacted his family and arranged for a meeting.
“I desperately wanted to give this little boy a chance at survival,” she said, after she had sessions with his doctor and social workers. Sisulu said she firmly believed that they could push back the inevitable.
“The more I read on childhood cancer the more I realised we have a looming crisis in Africa with cancer killing more people now than HIV and Aids, the biggest problem being that most cancers are discovered too late to cure.
“My time with him was immeasurably fulfilling. He was the epitome of love and I treasure all the time I had especially when he came for weekends,” Sisulu said.
“I don’t remember him complaining about his ailment, nor did he have any sense of victimhood. ‘Saintly’ is a word that comes to mind about him. Junaid fought his cause - his right to life - without making the rest of us feel guilty; instead he loved us despite the fact that we had that one privilege that he did not have - the privilege of life.”
Junaid’s grandfather, Leonard Arendse, said the family was grateful for the support.
“When the doctors said the medical expenses are R20000 we did not know what to do, but we have seen that ubuntu is still there. I hope we will get out of here and take the spirit of ubuntu with us.”