A Gqeberha couple's children are struggling to make sense of the alleged murder-suicide that claimed their parents' lives in their Sydenham home on Monday.
Thansanqa “Alfred” Dyosi and his wife, Nolitha, were found dead in the main bedroom of their Hof Street home at about 2.30pm.
The couple’s 15-year-old son discovered his mother’s body lying on the floor while his father, 51, was in bed. This after his grandmother had unlocked the door with a spare key.
Nolitha, 49, suffered several gunshot wounds in the chest and stomach. Alfred suffered a gunshot wound to his face.
Police spokesperson Capt Sandra Janse van Rensburg said the firearm, a 9mm Norinco belonging to the deceased, was found in the room.
On Monday afternoon, the front yard was filled with distraught family members. A heavy silence hung in the air, punctuated only by the occasional sniffles and hushed conversations.
At the back of the house, three of their four children stood huddled together. The couple’s 25-year-old daughter, Yolanda Funde, said she had spoken to her mother on Sunday.
“They were genuinely good people,” she said. “They were full of love and kindness, and they meant the world to me. Just yesterday [Sunday], I had a conversation with my mother on the phone. My parents were the embodiment of joy and adventure.”
She said her parents made it a point to fill their childhood with laughter, fun and unforgettable experiences.
“The current situation is incredibly tragic. They were down to earth and humble,” she said.
“My 15-year-old brother didn’t go to school as they were not awake.”
My parents weren’t just ordinary individuals, they were extraordinary in the way they cared for others
— Child of Alfred and Nolitha Dyosi
Another sibling, who declined to be named, said losing his parents was unbearable.
“It’s hard to fathom that I will never see their smiles again, hear their comforting words or feel their warm embraces,” he said.
“The pain is deep and raw, and it’s difficult to find words to express the magnitude of this loss.
“My parents weren’t just ordinary individuals, they were extraordinary in the way they cared for others.”
Neighbours, equally stunned, stood a respectful distance from the scene. Many of them expressed a sense of estrangement from the occupants of the house, saying they had never seen or heard much about the people who lived there.
Janse van Rensburg said residents of the house decided to investigate at about 2.30pm after the couple failed to leave their room all day. She confirmed the grandmother had used a spare key to unlock the door.
Insiders claimed Alfred had been discovered playing Russian roulette at the weekend.
“The mother should have been helped to get a protection order at the weekend and I say again, that firearm should have been taken away,” a police source said.
“Now the children are without a mother and father,” another source added.
When asked, Janse van Rensburg said she couldn't comment on the Russian roulette allegations.
By the time of publication, it was yet to be confirmed who shot whom.
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