A GRIEVING mother speaks out against the fate of her son’s killer, which was determined on Friday, 23 September at Durban Magistrate’s Court.
The man responsible for her 19-year-old son, Samuel Leghstin Fisher’s death two years ago was given a two-year sentence for pointing a firearm and 10 years for murder.
“I am glad this man was sentenced but I’m not happy about the outcome. He should have received a full 20 years. According to the magistrate, his sentence was lessened in consideration for his family,” said Samuel’s mother, Magdalean Fisher.
I am glad this man was sentenced but I’m not happy about the outcome
“My son was disadvantaged when he lost his father who was the sole breadwinner, but we received no sympathy. Yet, this man threatened me during the case, and had his family walk past me in court, trying to intimidate me. I sought a peace order against them but this was never mentioned in court. Why weren’t we considered?” asked the aggrieved mother.
Her son’s murder is not the first heartbreaking tragedy in her family. On December 4, 2003, while pregnant with her third child, Magdalean received the news of her husband’s fatal shooting in the same flats where her son was killed 11 years later. “Samuel was just eight-years-old when his father was killed. If I wasn’t educated, I wouldn’t have been able to uplift myself and move my children out of Wentworth,” she added.
Magdalean last saw her son hours before his death. “He was preparing to attend a friend’s birthday party in Reiger Road on Saturday, 18 October. He looked so handsome, I made him pose while I took pictures of him which I sent to him later on. That’s when I received the last SMS from him: ‘Thanks, ma, I love you,'” read his last words to her. An hour later, she received word that her son had been shot. “I couldn’t believe it and I immediately felt weak. Right then and there, I knew my child was dead,” she said.
I immediately felt weak. Right then and there, I knew my child was dead
Two years down the line, the man responsible for his murder is in jail but Magdalean believes more could have been done by the police. “The fact that the witnesses had their statements taken twice by the cops says a lot. I heard they took the statements down incorrectly the first time. If I hadn’t approached the media, the case would not have made it so far,” she said.
Her other children are still grappling with the death of their brother. Her only surviving, 15-year-old son is still traumatised and has dropped out of school due to the emotional stress. Magdalean is not coping either. Going in and out of court and reliving the incident has been painful. “This is the second loss for me and my children and it is painful. Sometimes my work suffers because of this. But now I have peace of mind that I don’t have to deal with police anymore. I am still disappointed in the way they handled my son’s death,” she said.
She prays that no other parent ever goes through what she did. More importantly, she hopes the police will step up their game when handling such sensitive cases in future. “I believe when statements are given, it should be recorded in the correct manner and there should more justice for an adult killing a child. My son was a teenager, killed by an adult. The law should have given the harshest punishment for this and my family should have been considered by the court first. Samuel was an older brother to his 12-year-old sister and 15-year-old brother. He was killed in the same area as his father. Tell me, how is it fair that the system doesn’t sympathise with us?”
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