Mother grieves slain cop son
"If only I could turn back the hands of time to love him a little longer, to see his dreams come to fruition.."
‘There are no words to describe a parent who loses a child’, said Carol Meth, grieving mother of slain off-duty policeman, Constable Jairus Joshua Govender who was shot dead on the N2 in Scottburgh last Thursday night.
Govender was stationed at the Public Order Policing Unit in Port Shepstone.
Meth said that on that evening he had come home to fetch his car as he was leaving for Durban to attend a 10-day course.
“He wanted his car because he and his girlfriend had been sharing a vehicle, but he thought it would be easier for them if they had two. When they left he promised to message me when they arrived in Durban, however later, I got the news that he had been killed.”
She said the girlfriend’s car tyre had burst and they stopped on the side of the road to change it. Two men approached them and demanded their cellphones and valuables.
“One of the men fired two shots, one hit his left shoulder and the bullet entered his heart and he died instantly,” said Meth.
Govender joined the police service last year.
“I am devastated, this is a loss like no other. If only I could turn back the hands of time to love him a little longer, to see his dreams come to fruition,” she said.
Meth said she and her son were very much alike, in many ways.
“We often had a difference of opinion. He often said, ‘Carol you’re too old-fashioned, get with the programme’, and we would laugh about it. When he entered the house before I said anything, he would laugh and say, ‘Carol pause, take a chill pill if you are going to start a lecture’.”
Meth said her son was a mischievous child and would often pull pranks.
“He used to disappear with the neighbour’s children to play at the cemetery, not far from our home. He was a risk taker, outgoing and loved people. He was very protective of his younger sisters and said he was their bodyguard. I used to send him a prayer of protection and encouragement every morning to start his day,” wept Meth.
She said the relationship they had was like no other, although they lived on the same property. “He would send me a WhatsApp message every morning to say he was leaving for work and to make him coffee. I would make the coffee and wait for him to come over to have it before he left.”
Govender will be dearly missed by his siblings Jezreel and Zoe Govender, Charton van der Byl, Chadei Peters and family.
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