Durban Day stabbing: Mom forgives killers

When a mother heard her son had been stabbed at the Durban Day concert, she “thought he was going to be fine”.

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Durban - When a mother first heard her son had been stabbed at the Durban Day concert on Sunday evening at People’s Park, she “thought he was going to be fine”.

Charmaine King said she immediately set out to fetch her wounded son, Montreal King, 19, to take him to hospital.

But it was not to be - she was on her way to People’s Park when she received the news he had died.

But the mother told the Daily News in an interview at her Newlands East home on Monday she had found it in her heart to forgive her son’s killers.

She was speaking just before police announced they had arrested two suspects, who have been charged with murder and attempted murder.

The young man died in full view of revellers at the concert, at about 7.30pm.

King said her family was in shock and two of Montreal’s friends had to be taken to hospital by their parents because of the emotional trauma.

King, who works with unemployed mothers in Newlands East by helping them grow vegetables, described Montreal as a “chatterbox”.

She laughed as she recalled how her son won awards in primary and high school for being the most talkative person. In high school he was even presented a dummy for his troubles.

A passionate footballer who played for local team Juventus FC, Montreal was an inspiration to some of his friends in the neighbourhood, said King. She said her son had helped a friend quit drugs.

“Montreal was not a fighter,” she said.

He matriculated from Hillview Senior Secondary School last year and had already done two tests to try to make it into the SAPS.

Getting into a fight would have endangered his chances of becoming a policeman, she said.

King said her Christian faith helped her to be strong. She also advised parents to love their children every minute that they were with them.

Among the friends and family gathered at King’s home to pay their respects was relative Claudine Ramaholi.

She said Montreal had a magnetic personality, which attracted children from the neighbourhood. He could have been a future role model to youngsters.

In a statement, East Coast Radio station general manager, Boni Mchunu, said: “We want to offer our condolences to the family. There is no easy way to accept the loss of a human life and I think that we are heartbroken and shocked at this incident.”

Police spokesman, Major Thulani Zwane, on Monday confirmed two suspects had been arrested.

Zwane said the suspects, aged 18 and 19, had been detained at the Durban Central police station and were expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court soon.

“It is alleged that on that evening there was an altercation between two groups of men from the Wentworth and Newlands East area within the park. These groups were allegedly insulting each other when one of the men stabbed the victim in the chest.

“After stabbing the victim, the suspect dropped the knife and fled while his friend kicked the victim,” Zwane said.

He said security guards intervened and removed the groups from People’s Park.

Outside the park, a friend of King’s was stabbed in the hand by one of the suspects, who then fled the scene.

“A third victim is believed to have been admitted to hospital and the circumstances around his stabbing are part of a police investigation,” Zwane said.

Daily News