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The tragic death of Daniël Botha (26) has shaken family and friends to the core.
Daniël’s family had to make the hard choice of taking him off life support after he was assaulted on July 25 outside a Benoni pub, which resulted in him being declared brain dead.
Daniël lived in Boksburg South from birth and worked at Land Rover East Rand.
André Pretorius, Daniël’s stepfather, said Daniël went to play action cricket on Wednesday evening, after which he and a friend went to the popular social hotspot where the incident happened.
Following the assault, Botha was taken to hospital with head injuries, which proved to be fatal.
Capt Mavela Masondo of the Gauteng SAPS confirmed that a suspect, Gideon Fourie, handed himself in to the police on July 31.
Initially, a case of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm was opened at the Benoni SAPS, but the charge was amended to murder when Botha died of his injuries.
“He appeared in court and was released on bail of R5 000. He will appear in court again on September 24,” said Masondo.
Daniël’s funeral was held on August 2 at Woord en Lewe Church in Sunward Park.
“There were about 700 people at the funeral,” said Pretorius.
“That just shows you what type of person he was. People adored him.”
Pretorius described Daniël as a gentle, kind and friendly person.
“He was like a flower, bright and gentle, he was not someone who looked for trouble,” said Pretorius.
Daniël was known by his friends and family as a hard worker and a loving person who grew up with good moral values.
“The support, funeral attendance and messages on Facebook speak for themselves; he was loved,” said Pretorius.
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