The father of slain businessman, Shailen Singh said the claims that his son’s murder was related to a “love relationship" with one of his alleged killers’ girlfriend, was not new.
Speaking to the POST today, Singh’s father, Pradeep, said they had been aware of the relationship.
“I knew of the relationship between my son and this said woman. It happened a few years ago. It was before he got married. The relationship was not new, or not known to us. My son had brought it to my attention that he was being threatened, and our family. He had even told me, ‘dad be careful’.
“However, it is devastating that my son's life was taken because of this. Nobody has the right to take anybody’s life over an issue. Nobody has the right to play God. If there was an issue, it could have been dealt with in another manner,” he said.
Pradeep said while both accused have requested bail due to having minor children that needed them, Singh’s son would never have the love of his father.
Both brothers, in their affidavits presented to the court in their bid for bail earlier this week, said they had minor children, which they supported.
“Their children will still have the opportunity to see their father, but my two-month-old grandson will never have that chance. My son and I shared a strong bond, one that he hoped to have with his own son. He will never see his son’s first steps, hear his first words, experience his first day of school or university.
“We will never be able to spend time with our son again. His wife has become a widow at a young age. Their wives will still be able to see them, but she will never get to share any special moments with Shailen again. They have robbed our family of its happiness,” he said.
Pradeep said they were calling for bail to be denied.
“We are hopeful that their bail will be denied and that my son gets justice. We have faith in our justice system. However, sitting in the court as a grieving family has been difficult, especially seeing the support for the accused. We question what kind of society we are living in. If any of them had lost a loved one in the manner that we did, would they still be as supportive? There is also no remorse shown by the accused.”
The State’s case in the bail application of brothers, Ferrel Govender, 40, the Group CEO of Prosecure, a security company, and Darren Govender, 35, a construction company owner, got underway in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The brothers who handed themselves over to police on January 1, were charged with murder the following day.
Singh, 32, who owned Shails Trans, a logistics company was shot multiple times, including in the head, neck and abdomen while seated in his vehicle in a parking bay in Meridian Drive, uMhlanga, on December 29. He died at the scene.
On Wednesday, in an affidavit by investigating officer, Warrant Officer Kumarasan “Bob” Pillay, of the Provincial Organised Crime Unit, he said in a statement taken from Singh’s wife, he was being accused of having an affair with Ferrel’s girlfriend.
“Applicant one (Ferrel) made several threatening calls to the deceased where he threatened to shoot him and several family members in his house. The deceased’s father also confirmed threats were made by applicant one to his son.
“There is evidence that applicant one assaulted his girlfriend on numerous occasions accusing her of being in a relationship with the deceased. The latest of these assaults happened in November 2024 where applicant one mentioned his intention to have the deceased killed as a result.
“The killing of the deceased revolves around him being alleged to have a love relationship with the applicant one's girlfriend. As a result of jealousy and insecurities, applicant one decided to, with the help of his brother, kill the deceased,” he said
Pillay further told the court that there was evidence confirming cellphone communication between Singh and Ferrel moments before the shooting.
“There was a plan on the part of applicant one to lure the deceased to the scene in order to shoot and kill him. He called his brother to assist in this regard…”