Gran’s bloodied body found
AN 80-YEAR-OLD KwaDukuza (Stanger) grandmother was found in a pool of blood on the lounge floor of her Ridge Road home last week. She had been stabbed several times.
The food Vasanthee Adjoodyah had been cooking had been charred black by the time her grandson, Nigel Govender, another family member and a security guard discovered her body just before 10pm.
“My granny lives up the road from me,” Govender said.
“I live in a flat and she has a carport so I park my car there. The area had load shedding from 9pm to 11pm.
“I had been out with my brother-in-law and my sister. Just before 10pm on Thursday, I dropped my sister at home. My brother-in-law and I then went to park the car.
“As I proceeded to unlock the gate to the property, I saw there was a gap in the gate and the lock was not there. I found this strange. I knew my gran would never leave the gate open late at night.”
Govender said he got back into his vehicle and spoke to his brother-in-law about the possibility that there could be an intruder in the house.
“Before we made any calls, we looked around. We used the headlights of the vehicle to help us see. At this time, we found the gate lock and key lying nearby. We also noticed that the gate to the house was ajar.”
Govender called a security company which sent an armed guard to help.
“When he arrived, he entered first and we followed. We were careful not to touch anything.
“We found that the door to the house was also not locked. The guard pushed the door open with his elbow. We then noticed that the back door and gate were open as well. The guard checked around to make sure the intruders were not there. The house was empty.
“We saw my granny lying on the lounge floor in a pool of blood. She was in a crouched position. She had several stab wounds on her face and neck.
“Her face was swollen and bruised. There were blood splatters on the wall and sofa. I’m not sure if she tried to put up a fight with the killer.”
They also found that the house had been ransacked.
“We are not sure what they were looking for as the TV and other valuables were left behind.
“The only things that were missing were her bank card and her Sassa card.”
Govender said he found it odd that there had been a plate of food lying on the table.
“There was also food cooking on the stove. The pot and its contents were burnt black by the time we arrived.
“We had load shedding twice that day, once at 1pm to 3pm and then in the evening. If it wasn’t for load shedding, the house would have caught alight.”
He said police were alerted and were investigating.
Govender said his granny had been living alone since her husband died a few years ago.
He added that Adjoodyah was in fact his step-grandmother. His grandfather had remarried her after his first wife died.
“She loved us as any granny would and she was a great mother to my mum and her siblings. She was my nani (granny in Hindi).”
Govender said his family saw Adjoodyah frequently and called regularly to check up on her.
“We will miss her dearly. She was the type of granny who would always cook or make us roti because she knew we loved it.”
Govender described her as a social, down-to-earth person who was loved by all.
“She had her friends who she always went with to the temple, the hospital or to collect her grant.
“It’s hard to find closure. We haven’t had the time to properly mourn. We have so many unanswered questions.
“There was no forced entry. Who could have done this?”
He said the family hoped for arrests to be made soon.
IPSS Medical Rescue responded to the incident.
Dylan Meyrick, a spokesperson, said emergency personnel arrived to find an “unresponsive elderly female”.
“On arrival, it was discovered that the elderly female was lying in a pool of blood with what appeared to be multiple stab wounds. It did appear to have happened a few hours before.
“Unfortunately, the elderly woman was declared deceased on the scene. SAPS were contacted and the scene was handed over for further investigation.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala, spokesperson for KZN SAPS said: “KwaDukuza SAPS is investigating charges of murder and house robbery.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated.”
Salim Tootla, KwaDukuza CBD Community Police Forum (CPF) chairperson, said the matter was an isolated incident but CPF members were on high alert.
“CPF members along with SAPS will be doing everything in their power to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book, and an incident like this is not repeated.
“The loss of a loved one is always a painful and traumatic experience and we convey our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the victim’s family.”
Adjoodyah’s funeral took place on Sunday at the KwaDukuza Crematorium.
She loved us as any granny would and she was a great mother to my mum and her siblings. She was my nani.
NIGEL GOVENDER
Grandson