22-year-old fighting for life after thunee game turns violent at a Silverglen pool hall

A 22-YEAR-OLD Westcliff man is fighting for his life in ICU after being stabbed in the head with a knife during what began as a friendly game of thunee.

Keith Govender underwent emergency brain surgery following the violent altercation at a Silverglen pool hall, leaving his family emotionally devastated and facing medical bills of around R300,000.

He is on a ventilator.

Kaydin Pillay, 22, a welder from Kharwastan and a close friend of Govender, was present when the incident occurred.

He said a group of them had been playing thunee, a popular and competitive card game, when tensions escalated.

“We started playing thunee and Keith and I were on one team. My girlfriend, Saloshni, was on one team with the man who attacked Keith.

“Keith called thunee (a high-stakes declaration that a player will win all six tricks in a round) and my girlfriend caught him. The suspect got excited that Keith was caught and started swearing. It is normal to argue during thunee, so they both started arguing about something in the game.”

According to Pillay, the situation became heated as the suspect grew increasingly aggressive.

“The suspect then got angry and started swearing. Keith said there was no need to swear and talk, and if he continued, he would swear as well. I tried to break the ice and joke because I know how heated a game of thunee can get,” he said.

Pillay said the suspect then threatened Govender before walking away.

“He pointed his finger in Keith’s face and said, ‘don’t make me like a lytie’. Keith argued back and the suspect walked away to the bar,” he said.

Moments later, the suspect allegedly returned and physically assaulted Govender.

“He came back and said, ‘‘f*** you! What are you going to do now?’ He punched Keith and Keith punched him back. The bartender tried to stop the fight and got in the middle of both of them,” Pillay said.

He added that they were unaware the suspect was holding a knife.

“We did not know the suspect had a pocket knife. He stabbed the bartender in the hand. I went to help Keith while the bartender pushed the suspect into the gate at the door, but he (the suspect) still tried to hit Keith,” he said.

Pillay described the moment Govender was stabbed in the head as traumatic.

“He climbed and jumped over everyone and stabbed Keith in the head. I quickly caught Keith as he fell to the ground. His body went limp. Keith was not responding, but his eyes were open. He could not hold himself up. Everything happened so fast that we were in shock.

“I was trying to calm Keith down. I was making a joke even though I was so scared. I could see the fear in Keith’s eyes. He just was not responding to me. Blood was gushing out of his head and nose.”

After the assault, Pillay said the suspect appeared to panic.

“The suspect got scared and started apologising and even acted hurt. Nobody was helping us, they were just looking. I begged them to take us to the hospital because the ambulance would take too long, but no one cared,” he said.

Eventually, someone they knew helped transport them to hospital.

“I carried Keith to the car because he could not walk. At the hospital, he was choking on his blood. They were resuscitating him and he started spewing thick blood. It was very traumatising to see. They said if we were a little later, he would have died,” Pillay said.

The incident has left Pillay deeply shaken.

“We have been friends since school days and to see this happen is scary. I do not think I will ever play the game again. I only remember his dull, scared face in my dreams. It was shocking for something like this to happen over a game of thunee,” he said.

Keith’s father, Ashlin Govender, said the family was struggling to cope with both the emotional and financial impact of the incident.

“My son was playing thunee with a mutual friend. He is an older person. The 47-year-old suspect picked up my son to go play cards. Luckily my son decided to call his friends to come, otherwise I do not know what could have happened.”

He said witnesses confirmed that the altercation escalated after the suspect produced a knife.

“The suspect took out a stainless steel pocket knife and lunged at my son. He first punched my son, my son hit him back, and then everything seemed settled. But he waited for an opportunity, climbed over people and hit my son on the left side of his head,” Govender said.

“The blade was lodged deep into his skull and damaged his brain. He was rushed to Chatsmed Hospital for major brain surgery. He lost a lot of blood, but they managed to save him. He underwent a five-hour operation and is now in the ICU on a ventilator.”

Govender said the family was under severe financial strain.

“He needs two more scans which we do not have the funds for. He was on our medical aid until recently when he had to come off after turning 21. We are paying cash for everything and it is expensive,” he said.

Medical bills have reportedly climbed to about R300,000.

“The hospital said we would have to move him to a public hospital if we do not pay, and they do not have the facilities we need. The doctor said he could wait for payment, but the hospital said they could not. My salary is not enough to cover even half,” Govender said.

He described his son as a peaceful and hardworking young man.

“He is humble, non-violent and well-respected. He works in payroll and plays pool and soccer. Now we do not know how he will be after he wakes up. We are scared that he will not wake up the same. We are holding on by a thread,” he said.

Govender added that the suspect was claiming self-defence, which the family disputed.

“He was drunk and became unnecessarily violent over thunee. My son does not drink. He just went to play cards and this happened to him. The suspect was the one with the weapon. I cannot believe my son is fighting for his life over a game of thunee,” he said.

Keith's family has appealed for community support to help them cover the costs of his medical care and recovery.

Anyone wishing to assist the Govender family can visit the Backabuddy link: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/save-keith-jeremiah

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