The family of two men who were brutally killed in a shooting outside St Mary’s Catholic Parish Church in Merebank,south of Durban, has expressed shock and disbelief over the incident.

Southlands Sun reports that Tevin (31) and Keagan Beck (26), both originally from Wentworth, were killed while attending the funeral service of their uncle, Clinton Mark Paul, on Saturday.

Mother rejects gang claims

Their mother, Raquel, strongly refuted earlier social media claims that linked her sons to gang activities in Wentworth.

Raquel said both her sons left Durban to start new lives in Johannesburg.

“We moved to Johannesburg in 2020. As a mother, my heart is shattered beyond words. My two sons were taken from me in the most tragic way, gunned down in front of a church. They did not deserve to die like this,” she said.

She added: “Tevin and Keagan were not involved in gangs anymore. They had chosen a new path for their lives, leaving behind the troubles of Durban to move to Johannesburg for a fresh start. Together, they opened a business, worked hard, and built lives around family, love, and hope for the future.”

Shooting outside church

On the day of the incident, both brothers had stepped out of the church just after delivering a eulogy at the funeral.

“The reason for them to step out of the church was due to a rush of emotions and they wanted to get themselves together. We stepped outside to put Tevin’s daughter in his car as she was sleeping. Then Tevin, Keagan and Tevin’s wife stepped outside to have a smoke before going back in,” she said.

While outside the church premises, two armed men in an unmarked vehicle pulled up and opened fire. The brothers later died in hospital.

The motive for the killing has not been established. Police confirmed that two cases of murder are being investigated at the Wentworth Police Station.

Remembered as fathers and providers

“They were more than just my sons. They were fathers, brothers, and men who had changed their lives for the better. I am so proud of them and of the courage it took to turn their lives around,” said Raquel.

The brothers owned a Johannesburg-based security company called Atrack Protection Services.

“I loved my boys deeply and will carry them in my heart forever. I miss them every single day. My only comfort is in knowing that their memory will live on through their children and the people who truly knew the good men they had become,” she said.

She emphasised that neither her sons nor their uncle were involved in gangs, and the family did not consider themselves at risk on the day of the funeral.

“Unfortunately none of their personal security were present at the time of the incident, as they were attending their uncle’s funeral,” she added.

‘Devoted husband and father’

Tevin’s wife Michelle described him as a devoted husband and father who always put his family first.

“He did everything in life to make his children proud. He was his son’s role model and his daughter’s love. I will forever cherish the love Tevin has shown me and it can never be replaced; it will live within me and our kids forever,” she said.

Tevin left behind two children, a boy aged eight and a girl aged three.

The family has not shared the funeral arrangements due to safety reasons.

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