Cape Town - Nyanga is mourning the death of veteran actor Chris April who was beaten by robbers in his home.
The 84-year-old had been in and out of hospital since the attack two months ago, but on March 31 he sadly died in hospital.
The elderly star had been asleep in his Lindela Road home in Mau-Mau when the robbers broke in.
According to family spokesperson Johnson Puza, he recognised one of the suspects.
“He was alone on February 6. Thieves broke into his home, they caught him in his sleep around 4am, during load shedding. They took his belongings and when they were about to leave, he recognised one of them, thus they came back and injured him terribly,” he said.
“He was taken to Groote Schuur Hospital after concerned neighbours heard his dogs barking. Since then he had been in and out of hospital until his passing on March 31 in Lentegeur District Hospital.”
On Wednesday, during April’s memorial service held in the Zolani Centre in Nyanga, neighbour Malibongwe Sophangisa said that law enforcement found two men walking with a wheelie bin and when they checked inside, they found the stolen items.
“They refused to divulge where they got the stolen property. I found that one of the suspects is our neighbour and Chris would send him to the shops,” Sophangisa said.
“The house keys, his cellphone and wallet with cards were not there, the suspects told us that they had given them to friends. We hunted the friends and found some of the things.”
The two suspects were charged with possession of stolen property and attempted murder and were released on the day April died.
“When they came out, we took them back to the police station and they were then charged with murder,” added Sophangisa.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie confirmed that two suspects, aged 16 and 20 years old, were arrested in connection with the incident.
“The case is currently before the Athlone Magistrate’s Court. The accused last appeared on April 5.”
April started his acting career in the 1980s and starred alongside Hollywood stars like Forest Whitaker in Zulu, John Kani in Final Solution and Adam Sandler. He also featured in local prankster Leon Schuster’s movies.
Nephew Thabo April said at the memorial: “He was known as Chris April, Bra Spokes or Tshezi. He grew up in Surrey Estate, they were forcefully removed to Nyanga. Today he is a well-known actor, he did many more things like sports and music. We are here as his family to honour him, he was loving and he was kind. We thank him for the role he played in real life, many benefited from his skills.”
The funeral will be held at his Lindela Road home in Mau-mau, Nyanga on Saturday.
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za