The day I lost my son:

Late last year, on 28th July 2018, to be precise, our lives as a family were permanently and irrevocably changed when ruthless criminals ended the life of my youngest son, Chad Basson. This was yet once again one of the daily/weekly incidents of barbaric acts of this mindless thugs, who in their battle for turf to maximise their criminal activities, fire indiscriminately in our communities on the Cape Flats. Most of the time it is the young, innocent souls who have to die as they fire indiscriminately.

My son, Chad, was brought up to make a change and be the change on this Earth of us and as parents we are so proud of the child who he was and the incredible young man he became! He matriculated in 2017 with distinction and had his whole future ahead of him! I was so glad that he was active in the church and was someone his peers could look up to.

On that fateful night, he attended a 21st Birthday party a few streets away, normally he would not even go that far away from home! After the party, he was chatting with some girls, when a car pulled up and began to shoot at people standing around the house where the party took place. Running into this particular house as the shooting continued started Chad instinctively, began to push people into this house. When he looked around, he saw that one girl was still standing alone with him in the yard. He then flung himself onto her, holding her tight and shielding her from the bullets. He died of multiple gunshots wounds, but the girl escaped unharmed. People of the house where the shooting took place, and the people that he saved afterwards were so thankful for Chad selfless deed as he didn’t know anyone of them personally.

When we were told ,we rushed to the scene but on arrival he was already deceased! Our world stood still as we cried uncontrollably. My wife and I lay next to him and rubbed his still warm hands waiting for the pathologists to arrive! I had to rush my wife to the hospital as she became in a zombie-like state. His siblings, three of them had to be comforted by friends and family as we were at the hospital. Then my daughter (his only sister) had to be booked in at Medical Centre for a month counselling. Before that we also attended short counselling sessions with the Department of Social Development.

During the day and at night, I was faced with having to attend to my sobbing wife or one of his siblings. We were sometimes living on sleeping pills. As the father, I had to be strong for them and decided to go to the morgue alone to identify his lifeless, bloodied body as well as attending to funeral arrangements! We are a close knit, God Loving and Fearing ,law abiding citizens but had to be worried as my one son, all good boys who behaved, said if someone must just give him a gun ,he would go look for them .Although we knew he wasn’t going to do it, we had to constantly keep an eye on him. On top of it for the last 15 months, we were frustrated as potential witnesses  kept on saying that they were too scared to speak out!

I love my whole family incredibly (although they say he was the apple of my eye!) and would take a bullet for them, not knowing that I would be too late to protect my own son. My family never went to church after my son’s murder and they still question God, but I am patient with them and go alone as the father. Our battle for justice is still continue!

Many Thanks

Mr C.Basson

22/11/2019

 

This weekend has been a dark one for the people of Hout-bay especially the people of Hangberg as first 2 policemen aged 26 and 27 were shot dead in Imizamo Yethu on Friday evening and then on Saturday a pleasure boat capsized near Duiker Island which resulted in the lost on 2 lives and 34 people being rescued from the icy sea, according to unconfirmed reports the engine of the boat seized and a waved rolled the boat over, the suicide of a young girl of Hangberg addicted to drugs earlier in the week  area went by unnoticed.

This is probably the 2^nd biggest sea disaster in Hout-bay in the last 6 years since 5 fishermen lost their lives in March 2006 when a wave capsized their newly refurbished crayfish trawler.  The killing of the 2 police constables were probably the biggest shock of all, everyday we read in the newspaper and we hear on tv of police personnel who have been killed in the line of duty but you don’t expect it to happen in your own backyard.

The response of the community has been great and a lot of people are outraged about the shooting of the cops during the course of their duty.  The police in Hout-bay are severely traumatized by needles shooting of their colloquies who were on patrol in Imizamo Yethu when they were shot at close range.

The capsizing of the pleasure boat has thrown out a lot of questions about the safety of the passengers on the boat and the involvement of poachers in the rescue, it is rumoured that the death crewmen gave his lifejacket to a child on the boat, truly a wonderful jester as would be expected from a fishermen.  This may have been the first time that a pleasure from Hout-bay has sunk.  Poaching is an evil that needs to be eradicated, but on Saturday they were at the right place at the right time and many lives were saved due to their quick thinking and willingness to assist.

Drug abuse among teenagers is rife in the Hangberg area and the kids can’t seem to get out of it as peer pressure is forcing them to do this evil if they want to be part of a friend circle and feel excepted, girls as young as 12-13 are caught up in drugs and spent late nights outside their homes on the street getting high on drugs and getting drunk.

It has been a sad week for the people of Hout-Bay Hangberg community and it was wonderful to see the people in the community pull together and supporting the families of the bereaved.

I am reminded of the bible verse ” I can do all things through Christ who strengthened me”, the power of God will indeed be seen in the people who are affected by this tragedy.