Goodbye Mickey my son
“The last four days were hell. I had to identify his body in Springs. When I saw him, I fell apart. He is my child and I loved him. ”
A father from Pretoria East is mourning the loss of his son “Mickey” or Michael Coetzee (24) who passed away in a motorcycle accident on 16 February in the East Rand.
“I am broken, shattered. I’m trying to be strong,” Gert Nel told Rekord on Friday morning at his home in Silverton.
“The last four days were hell. I had to identify his body in Springs. When I saw him, I fell apart. He is my child and I loved him.”
Mickey was in Pretoria on Saturday and died in an accident near Eastrand Mall on his way back to Boksburg where he lives.
“We don’t know exactly what happened. As we understand it.
“ I don’t even know if the occupant of the vehicle is alive,” he said.
A case of criminal homicide was opened at the Boksburg North police station.
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“My phone’s battery had been depleted and consequently no one could get hold of me.”
Mickey’s aunt and Nel’s sister, Natasha Liebetrau, drove to his home to share the bad news of his son’s death.
Liebetrau said Mickey was getting on his feet and worked at Express Truck & Tire in Boksburg.
“He had a rough childhood. He did not even finish Std 8. His mother died a little over seven years ago. He never really got over it. Now he is with her.”
She describes Mickey as a “kind soul”.
“He was a very loving child, with a gentle heart, kind and loved sports. He also loved to catch fish.”
Liebetrau said Mickey was just like his father.
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“He was really just fighting to survive and make something of his life. He struggled to get on his feet,” said Liebetrau.
She said Mickey also met a nice girl recently whose parents liked him as well.
“They clicked well and she was a good influence on him. Her parents also helped him a lot and took him under their wing. They also really loved him,” said Liebetrau.
Nel thanked Marius Botha, from MC Wranglers en die Bomb Shelter Christian Bikers Church and his friends and family who will contribute to the funeral this coming Monday.
“A special thank you to my fiance, Ronel Quinche for all the support and assistance at the time. She goes out of her way for me.”
Mickey will be bid farewell by friends, family and his brothers and sisters at the Pretoria East Cemetery in Garsfontein on 24 February at 10:00.
Lees die Afrikaanse weergawe hier: Totsiens Mickey my seun
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