Relatives of the Naidoo family who disappeared this week following a robbery at their home in Johannesburg have detailed how the family has faced trauma after trauma in recent months.
Greg‚ 57‚ his sister Melanie‚ 51‚ and her daughter Rakiel Naidoo‚ 23‚ disappeared following a robbery at their home in Northcliff on Sunday night.
On Wednesday‚ Greg's son Rezine confirmed that he and two other family members had identified three charred bodies found in a veld in Centurion on Monday as the remains of the missing family.
Despite this‚ some members are still hopeful that the Naidoo family will be found.
"We are still hopeful that they are somewhere out there. From my perspective‚ we are still waiting for the DNA test results‚" said Carl Fourie‚ a long time friend of Melanie and her late husband.
Melanie was recently widowed and had also been dealt a second blow when she lost her son‚ Rakiel’s brother.
"It has been trauma after trauma for the family. It has been totally unexpected that something like this could happen‚" said Fourie.
While the one side of the family are still waiting for the results of DNA tests‚ another side has accepted that the remains found in Centurion are those of their family.
Greg's son‚ Rezine‚ described the last few days as some of the hardest he has had to deal with.
"I can only speak for myself. It has not been easy‚" Rezine said.
"The last few days have really been rough on the family. All I'm trying to do is get the answers‚" he said.
He said the last time he spoke to his father was a couple of hours before the robbery on Sunday.
"He was such a warm man. He was a real people's person. He was the best man you can get‚" Rezine said.
While he didn't want to say much about his aunt and niece‚ friends described Rakiel as a "humble" and "happy" person. "Her family was absolutely beautiful and she would never harm anyone‚" said a friend who had known her since primary school days.
The last time he spoke to her was on Sunday‚ supposedly hours before she and her mother and uncle were taken from their Northcliff home.
“She was having lunch with another friend on Sunday‚” said Rakiel’s friend who asked not to be named.
"She was a person that brought joy and she could just light up a room with her smile‚" he said.
The friend would not comment on how Rakiel had handled the death of her father and brother.
Meanwhile‚ Walter Essex-Clark‚ the principal of Northcliff High School where Rakiel went to school‚ described her as "a beautiful child".
"She was kind-hearted and a committed student‚" he said.
Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele said police were still investigating the matter and would only be in a position to give further updates once the DNA results had been finalised.
TMG Digital/TimesLIVE
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 
