Durban — The security guard charged in relation to the death of an oThongathi man who died in hospital after allegedly being assaulted by guards at a Capitec branch is due to appear in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Nhlakanipho “Sir Ronnius” Gumede had gone to the bank to deposit money for his mother in Zululand on a Friday in 2021. The following day the family found out from their mother that she had only received R500 instead of the R1 000 that Nhlakanipho had deposited.
The following day Nhlakanipho went to the branch to query this, and a manager at the bank phoned his brother Jan Gumede and explained what had happened with the deposit. Five minutes after this the family got another call saying Nhlakanipho was dying.
The family is in the process of taking legal action against Capitec as well as the security company contracted by Capitec.
The father of the up-and-coming Gqom artist, Phineas Gumede, said that even though it had been a year since they received the phone call that his son was dying, it felt like it had happened yesterday.
“I have had to ask his friends and community members to please not come near my house when they are wearing T-shirts with Nhlakanipho’s picture on. They made these and wore them at his funeral. It is all just still too painful for us.”
Last year the Daily News reported that Nhlakanipho’s music group had its Gqom song Khula, featuring Bello no Gallo and Niseni, nominated among the top 10 songs to battle for the Song Of The Year title on Ukhozi FM.
Gumede said he had also had to ask Nhlakanipho’s friends to try to play his songs far from the area they lived in as they brought back the pain of losing him.
“I was devastated to find out that the accused had been granted bail, I was not in court; the investigating officer informed me. I’ve never seen the accused face to face. For him to be out on a mere R3 500 bail when a life was lost surprised me,” he said.
Jan Gumede said Nhlakanipho’s friends would often gather at weekends and play his songs to remember him.
“Even yesterday, they played his songs the whole night. My mother breaks down and cries when she hears his songs blaring from neighbours. As a family, we are still trying to heal since my brother’s death, especially my parents.”
Daily News