Murdered KZN couple ‘were totally devoted to each other’

The children of a murdered KwaZulu-Natal couple have described them as being totally devoted to each other.

Christine and Roger Solik's children said they were devastated by the news of their parents’ deaths. The couple were murdered at their Bend Country Estate in Nottingham Road‚ in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

At the weekend‚ the couple's four children made a plea on social media for the public’s assistance in finding their missing father‚ who had fought Parkinson’s disease for 20 years.

• Family's plea for help to find father who has Parkinson's disease‚ mom found deadA KwaZulu-Natal man - who may have been kidnapped after his wife was killed - will be “totally dysfunctional'' in a matter of hours if he does not take medication for his neurological disease‚ his family say. 

The appeal came after their mother was found murdered in a river in Nzinga in Impendle near the Drakensberg on Friday‚ 70km from the family home‚ which had been trashed and had blood stains. Christine‚ 57‚ was found with her hands and legs tied with wire and her head gagged with a pillow.

On Monday police divers recovered Roger’s body two kilometres away from his wife.

• Police rescue divers recover second body from KZN riverPolice rescue divers recovered the body of man from a river in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands on Monday. 

Amid their heartache‚ the children said they were comforted by the fact that their father’s body had been recovered.

“While we are devastated by the news‚ we are also comforted by the fact that his body has been recovered. For this we are indebted to all who assisted under the leadership of the local and provincial divisions of the SAPS‚” they said in a statement.

They said their parents married in Wales in 1980‚ and travelled to South Africa on a two-year working visa in 1981.

“They never left‚ having fallen in love with South Africa‚” they said.

“Our father was beloved for his wicked sense of humour‚ his kindness and his passion for food and wine. Our mother was the glue that kept us all together with her well-known warmth‚ and gentle‚ loving touch.

They were totally devoted to each other‚ and to our family‚ which has always remained extremely close even as we have moved to different parts of the country. While the loss of our parents has shattered our hearts‚ the generous spirit with which they lived and loved the world will never leave us. We will always remember them for this‚ their gift to the world.”

They said they have been overwhelmed by the love from near and far and thanked those who contacted them to express their solidarity and support

The couple have four children‚ twins Alexander and Gregory‚ Jessica and Brendon and two grandchildren‚ Xavier and Lucy.

TMG Digital/TimesLIVE