- For some families in the Western Cape, the festive season is very bleak after they lost loved ones due to crime this year.
- The family of police Constable Ashwin Pedro, who was gunned down earlier this month, say they will not be celebrating Christmas.
- For Zandile Maweza, this will be her first Christmas without her partner, e-hailing driver Abongile Mafalala.
"This is a different kind of festive period, a very sad one indeed."
These are the emotional views of some of the families who have lost loved ones in crime-related incidents in the Western Cape this year. Many of the families of the victims told News24 they wouldn't be celebrating Christmas because "it just doesn't feel right" without their loved ones.
Police Constable Ashwin Pedro, 26, was gunned down in the line of duty earlier this month when he and his colleague responded to a call of an alleged gangster who had been pointing a gun at residents in the streets.
His father Melvin said this festive season was different because the family was still coming to terms with Ashwin no longer singing in the house.
"It's not supposed to be like this. My child should've been here celebrating with us. Instead, some gangster saw it fit to end his life while he was out serving his community. It's a very sad time for us. We won't be doing the usual big Christmas lunches, and we haven't even put up our tree because we don't have the energy to celebrate. Yes, we'll be going to church, but afterward we'll just come home and be with my kids and my wife," Melvin told News24.
The Pedro family said Ashwin's death was a double blow as he would have celebrated his 27th birthday on New Year's Day.
"It just doesn't feel right to celebrate anything without Ashwin. I am battling to come to terms with my son's death. Some days are easy but it's going to be a very long time before we feel okay. We look at his pictures every day, and we will remember him every day.
An emotional Melvin said:
For the family of Mossel Bay resident Kirsty James, Christmas is going to be very "different and difficult". James was stabbed to death at her workplace in October.
Monré Josias, who dated Kirsty for eight years, said every day was difficult.
"It's hard to process that she's no longer with us. The more time goes by, the more I miss her here at home with our daughter, Aliyah. Usually, we never go on the road this time of the year because it's safer and nicer to be together at home as a family," Josias added.
He said he and James had planned to get married next year and that it was near impossible to comprehend that the wedding plans had just ended abruptly.
"We knew next year we'd get married, but then the unthinkable happened, and Kirsty is not with us anymore. We're doing okay as a family. It's not a nice feeling to lose someone you've known for so long, but we have no choice but to be strong and do the best we can for our daughter. I just hope the feeling of missing her gets a little easier one day. I will always love her and she'll forever be a part of our lives," Josias added.
For the loved ones of e-hailing driver Abongile Mafalala, the days leading up to Christmas were "very hard" as Abongile was the one who used to take them shopping and on road trips during the festive season. Mafalala was murdered in a vigilante attack in May after accepting a ride request in Parkwood, Grassy Park.
Zandile Maweza said this would be the first time that she wouldn't be celebrating the festive season because the "love of my life" was never coming back.
"This will be my first Christmas without him, and it will be a very sad day for us. We definitely won't be doing anything special to celebrate the day because we're still trying to come to terms with Abongile no longer being around us.
"Even though we are happy that those who killed him will be behind bars for a long time, we still have to live with the painful memory of how he was killed. So, this will be a very different kind of Christmas for many of us who love and miss him a lot," said Maweza.
Thobeka Anyanwu, whose son Wisdom was stabbed to death on New Year's Day 2022, said festive season celebrations were far from her mind as she was still mourning.
"We're not celebrating Christmas. It's hard to celebrate when my child is not here. I still sometimes think he'll walk through the door playing his loud music on his phone. We miss him so much, and the days haven't gotten easier, especially with the holidays here. Life just isn't the same without my precious boy," said Anyanwu.
The Langa mother said a few days after Wisdom was killed, his matric results were released. He did "exceptionally well", she added.
"It's a different kind of festive period for us as a family. We wish he was here. As a mother, it never gets easier when you lose your child in such a gruesome way, but I have to be strong for my other kids. I know he's keeping a watchful eye over us, and that somehow comforts me," Anyanwu added.