The family of Niellen Afrikander, whose body was found at a northern areas nightclub in the early hours of Sunday, is struggling to come to terms with his untimely death.
Afrikander, 34, died after allegedly being involved in an altercation at the R Bar nightclub in Adams Street, Salsoneville.
Details are sketchy at this stage but police are investigating a case of murder.
Family and friends are desperately seeking answers regarding the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.
A family representative said that while Afrikander’s mother had initially agreed to an interview, she was too distraught on Tuesday afternoon after having had to identify her son’s body.
Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said that on arrival at the scene, responding officers had found Afrikander lying at the bottom of a flight of steps.
“At this stage, the cause of death has not yet been determined as no visible injuries were observed on the body,” Janse van Rensburg said.
“A postmortem will be conducted.
“The motive for the incident is unknown.”
Neighbour and childhood friend Chad Kramer said he was shocked to hear of the tragedy.
Kramer said he felt the R Bar had not handled the situation correctly, alleging that staff had removed Afrikander’s body from the establishment following the altercation.
“They [allegedly] moved him without knowing what possible injuries he had.
“You don’t know what’s happening but you [allegedly] take the liberty to take him outside R Bar so that your establishment can stay open.
“The club stayed open after that and only when the police arrived, they closed the club doors.”
Kramer said he and Afrikander had been lifelong friends.
“Niellen was such a great guy.
“When I was in Joburg for work and my grandfather was sick, he drove him around diligently every single day for his dialysis treatment.
“At times, my grandmother was too sick to buy groceries and he would go for her.”
When contacted telephonically, R Bar management directed The Herald to social media for its official statement and would not elaborate on the incident.
A post on its Facebook page read: “On behalf of RBAR management and staff, we would like to extend our sincerest and deepest condolences to the Afrikander family.
“We know what it feels like to lose a loved one.
“May Niellen’s soul rest in peace.
“Feel free to reach out to us as we are willing to assist at this time of sad bereavement.”
A family member, who was at the scene and asked not to be named, said she had seen Afrikander lying on the floor inside the nightclub with people standing around him.
“I immediately checked his pulse and there was nothing and then I realised he was not breathing.
“I told the security guys of R Bar that he was dead but they didn’t listen to me; they [allegedly] just picked him up and started carrying him out.
“They [allegedly] removed his body from the crime scene and put him in the street so that they didn’t have to take responsibility.
“I want that place to close down.”
Social media users took to Facebook to express their concerns about safety at the club, with many calling for the establishment to be closed down.
Several claimed the owners had shown little empathy for the situation, alleging that violent incidents had previously occurred at the establishment.
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