Family responds to stories.
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Dear editor,
We refer to your articles titled:
“Family dispute resolved out of court: Shan Govender laid to rest after workplace shooting”; and
“Mondi shooting: partner and former wife fight in court over body and religious last rites”
We place the following on record:
1. False narrative of a religious dispute. Both articles incorrectly portray the matter as a dispute based on religion (Hindu vs Christian rites). This is factually incorrect.
The High Court proceedings confirm that the matter was purely legal, relating to:
lawful next-of-kin rights.
authority over the release of the deceased’s body.
control of funeral and cremation arrangements.
2. Defamatory claims of estrangement. The article includes unverified statements alleging that the deceased’s children were estranged from him and had “cut ties”.
These statements are false, unverified and defamatory, and were published without any attempt to obtain the family’s version or verify the claims.
3. Misrepresentation to the state mortuary. It is a matter of record that incorrect representations were made to the mortuary authorities, including:
the involvement of a third party with no familial relationship to the deceased.
such individual being presented as a relative for purposes of documentation.
4. False identification of a “brother”. Court documents confirm that an individual who signed documentation was not the deceased’s brother, despite being presented as such.
5. Misrepresentation of funeral delay. Your reporting implies that the Govender family contributed to or caused delays. This is incorrect.
The delay was caused by:
disputes arising from the above misrepresentations.
the necessity for urgent High Court intervention to secure lawful release of the body.
The family acted promptly and lawfully at all times.
6. Legal position confirmed by court order. The High Court Order dated April 17 confirms that the biological children are the lawful next-of-kin, with full authority over the release of the body and funeral arrangements.
7. Funeral costs and conduct of the family. In terms of the agreement reached, certain funeral-related costs were to be borne by the other party. Despite this, the Govender family covered the costs of the funeral arrangements, including preparation of the body, casket and transportation, to ensure that the deceased was laid to rest with dignity and without further delay.
Chantel Naidoo: On behalf of the Govender family