The family of Nathaniel Julies says life will never be the same without him. Julies, who had a Downs syndrome, was laid to rest on Saturday.
Eldorado Park residents came out in their numbers to pay their last respects to the 16-year-old teenager.
His mother Bridget Harris says she holds special memories of her son and she’ll always cherish them. She was speaking at his funeral service. Only family members and close relatives were allowed access into the venue.
“A wonderful boy Nathaniel for 16 years he has borrowed me him for 16 years and that’s one thing Scorpion can never take away from me. He has engraved wonderful memories in our hearts. Scorpion might have taken him away but we will always have these memories,” she said.
Nathaniel Julies laid to rest:
His peers say the police have become the enemy of the community and they are now scared of them.
“For a policeman to shoot someone that has nothing to do with anyone it is just heartbreaking.”
“I am very scared now I don’t know what are they going to do over this, but I’m very scared. I am very scared the same thing can happen,” they lamented.
One of the older community members said: “It’s very painful especially to his parents to say goodbye in this way. When I looked at the child’s face in the coffin – he was well-loved and it’s hard to say goodbye to something so horrible and traumatic.”
African Christian Democratic (ACDP) leader, Kenneth Meshoe, also attended the funeral service. He has called on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) not to grant bail to the suspects accused of killing Julies.
“The perpetrators must not be given bail. They are guilty of murder. They must not only be charged for murder but also for possessing illegal ammunition that they are not supposed to be in their position. Why did they use that kind of ammunition or bullet to shoot at an innocent boy who is sick? They must be punished severely so that people who have concluded that all police are brutal they would know that brutality is punished.”
Businessman Gayton McKenzie pays tribute to Nathaniel Julies:
Julies was shot and killed last week allegedly by police in Eldorado Park, south of Johannesburg.
Three police officers have since been arrested. Community members allege that the implicated officers told staff at Baragwanath Hospital that the boy was caught in the cross-fire between rival gangs.
His funeral service was held at the Mount Carmel Ministries.
