AN EYE OPENER FOR THOSE WHO KILL THE INNOCENT!

LAST week we published a story about a prominent Pietermaritzburg couple, whose daughter was found shot dead nine years ago at her flat in Cape Town, making legal history.

They became the first people in South Africa to secure a murder conviction, via private prosecution, which cost hundreds of thousands of rand to put together. Yunus Asmall and his wife Sara are now a chapter away from ensuring that Faizel Hendricks, the boyfriend of their deceased daughter, Rochelle Naidoo, 27, is jailed for lying when he said he had nothing to do with her murder.

Last week, Magistrate Michelle Adams convicted him of murdering Naidoo at her flat.

Users on our Facebook page, POST Newspaper, commented.

– Eureka Jaganath-Sewpersadh: Well done to the parents. This must have been a painful journey for them and thank God they had the resources to pursue this so strongly. Justice has indeed prevailed. RIP you beautiful soul!

– Chantal Govender: RIP. I'm glad they never gave up. There would have been a murderer roaming the streets. I'm glad he has been found guilty, but what bothers me is that, if this family was not in the money, no justice would have been done and this murderer would have gotten away. So how useless is this justice system? If the PI could secure a conviction, why couldn't the investigating officers do the same? So a poor person won't get justice in SA. This is what has now been proven. Sad, really sad. Bigups for the parents. And for the boyfriend, I'm glad you were finally found guilty. Rot in hell.

– Raeesa Dawood: Awesome. The parents never gave up.

– Youlisha Kasil Sooklall: I’m so proud of her parents because they had faith and trust in their daughter and knew she would never have killed herself. Well done. Thanks to them a criminal will be behind bars.

– Premitha Moodley: May you rot in hell, murderer. You can run, you can hide, but the truth will find you eventually. To all those who have taken innocent lives, let this be an eye opener. You will be caught.

– Renee Lisa Chetty: I knew Rochelle and her parents very well. So glad justice will be served.

– Viranna Frank: RIP, Rochelle. Justice has been served.

– Vedna Karan: A parent’s responsibility is never complete even in death. Well done to the parents of Rochelle. You had faith in your daughter and found the murderer. South African justice is not fair. If these parents could not afford the costs, it would have been another case swept under the carpet. RIP Rochelle.

– Beverly Ann Rangan: Rochelle, my dearest friend, RIP. Justice finally for this beautiful family.

– Ashney Kantha: Thank God they had the finance to go one step further and also get the closure they deserve. Nobody deserves to die such a horrible death. May her soul be settled and rest in peace. Justice finally done.

– Raksha Mathadeen: Thank God justice will be served. It took years but the murderer needs to pay the price for taking an innocent life. May your soul finally rest in peace. Rochelle, your parents never gave up. The love of a parent just shows.

- Roland Grantham: Well done to the Asmall family for relentlessly pursuing justice and getting it. May they find peace and comfort now. It should not cost them so much money for justice to be served. They should sue the SAPS.

– Aniel Poolaraj: But in any murder even if the deceased committed suicide, the person next to the deceased or near, a ballistic residue test must be taken from their hands as well. I wonder if any residue test was done on the alleged killer that time. Why did the police not do that at that time? I wonder why. It would have saved the parents from spending so much money, but well done to them.

– Korissa Naicker: I hope this means the government will reimburse these people and then some for the pain of having to pursue this on their own and not having a justice system they can rely on.

– Cynthia Johnston: It is sad that hard earned money had to make the difference here when we pay taxes to ensure the law can be depended upon. I feel for people who lost their loved ones and could not get justice. Well done parents. May this become a case study to be used to help others. RIP, Rochelle.

– Kameshni Pillay: What a story. Thank God the Asmalls had the resources necessary to pursue this. But what about those poor families who can't afford private prosecutions?