The search for a Manenberg teen ended in tragedy this week when his family found his body at a state mortuary.
But now the heartbroken family of Faik Martin, 19, are calling on cops to question a group of skollies he was last seen with just hours before he died.
A 42-year-old relative, who asked not to be named, says she last saw Faik on Friday near his home in Peta Court.
“I saw him at about 11am on Friday and he asked me to walk with him to go get his mother’s R350 Sassa money and I still told him ‘no, it’s too hot to walk around.’
“I thought he went on his own, but afterwards we found out that he didn’t go and was walking with some friends of his who are skollies.”
She says when Faik did not arrive home, the family started to get worried and asked around if anyone had seen him.
“On Saturday morning, we got a message from someone saying that his body was lying full of blood under the Jakes Gerwel bridge and we all went to go look but he was not there.
“We went to Manenberg police station and reported him missing but we also went to the group that he was last seen with.
“We found the one guy and gave him a pak until he started speaking, and he said they were five and there was a robbery and four of them got away, which is confusing because one of the four is in a wheelchair.”
It is not clear whether Faik was part of the robbery, or the victim.
Desperate for answers, the family contacted various hospitals but it was only when they visited Salt River Mortuary that they found him.
“All that we were told is that his body was found in Brown’s Farm on Sunday morning and we don’t know the cause of death as the death certificate says unnatural causes,” the relative says.
She adds that they didn’t notice any stab or gunshot wounds, as they could only see his face, which was covered in bruises.
Police spokesperson warrant officer Joseph Swartbooi says Nyanga SAPS attended a crime scene on Sunday next to the railway tracks in Brown’s Farm at around 9am.
“They found the body of an unknown man who sustained injuries. The suspects are yet to be arrested,” he adds.
“The motive for the attack is a possible robbery. Nyanga police are investigating a murder.”
Faik’s janaazah was held on Tuesday and he was laid to rest at Klip Road Cemetery.
His grieving family say they need answers: “We believe he was with the wrong crowd at the wrong time.
“But the police must question those four identified as the last people seen with him because they know the truth about what happened to him.”
dailyvoice@inl.co.za