Shireena Birch’s family: We are broken

EMOTIONS ran high on Wednesday as the family of Shireena Birch opened up about their grief and anger after her brutal death, allegedly at the hand of her husband. 

They spoke exclusively to the Daily Voice after Riedewaan Birch made yet another brief appearance at the Bishop Lavis Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The court was expected to deal with his formal bail application, but due to the investigating officer being sick, the case was postponed to 18 February.

The accused faces charges of murder after he allegedly stabbed his wife to death at their home in Assegaai Avenue, Bonteheuwel, on 3 February. 

Shireena’s sister said: “We are broken as a family. She didn’t deserve to be taken like that. We accept her death as death is inevitable to anyone, but not in the way that she was taken.

“Even if his bail is denied and sentenced, it will be little comfort for us.” 

She explained that when the incident occurred, she was at home and that one of the neighbours around the corner from Shireena notified her about what happened. She immediately rushed to fetch her mother and went to the scene.

Shireena, a community worker, was one of four siblings, a mother and grandmother, but also a caregiver for one of her two grandchildren, who was sadly present when the incident occurred.

Shireena’s youngest son said that he was speechless, as his father is facing charges for his mother’s murder; he had also lost his brother in 2020.

He said: “I feel pain and hatred all at once.”

However, they said that this was not the first incident of gender based violence.

Her mother explains: “I believe he hit her a few times, but she never came to complain or cry to us that he was fighting with her.

“For our whole family that is so tight-knit, this wasn’t a death that we could have prepared for; things happened so suddenly and in such an evil, cruel way.

“On one evening when it was raining so hard, I said to my husband, ‘Shame my child is getting cold, her life is gone.’”

They further appealed to authorities and the government to take gender-based violence more seriously.​