Abdulgaffar Ahmedjan father of Zakiyyah

The father of slain four-month-pregnant KZN mom Zakiyyah Ahmedjan Ismail wants Police Minister Bheki Cele and President Cyril Ramaphosa to ensure justice is done (Singh 2020).

He said the three masked men who attacked her and her family on their Weenen farm killed her in front of her children(Singh 2020). .

He described his daughter as warm, innocent and loving, saying the trauma of her death broke his family. He spoke out about the incident and said the loss had caused his family inconsolable grief. “We didn’t just lose her, we lost her unborn child”(Singh 2020).

Ahmedjan, a Durban resident, said he received a call informing him that his daughter and her family had been attacked on the Saturday evening of the 4th July 2020(Singh 2020). “When I got to their home, I was absolutely shocked. It has been too much for us at home.” He said the family had lost more than just their daughter(Singh 2020).

“I never thought this would happen to my own family, to my own child. She was pregnant. It is not just that we lost her, we also lost a child. We lost a grandchild that didn’t even get a chance to be in this world with us because of these murderers. Why would they do this? Why?” (Singh 2020). Ahmedjan said all the family wanted now was justice(Singh 2020). .

“I want the minister of police and the government to get justice for my family and my child. I can’t get her back. She is gone, but I want justice. To murder a pregnant woman. Who does that? You tell me? Who? That is not a human.”(Singh 2020). He said his family had lived in South Africa for years(Singh 2020)..

“I was born in this country. My father was born in this country. I want justice here. [Police] Minister Bheki Cele and President Cyril Ramaphosa must know the hurt we are feeling. They must come here and get these criminals.” (Singh 2020). Ahmedjan wants to confront the men who killed his daughter (Singh 2020).

He said “I want to see the faces of the men who killed my child. I want to look them in the face and see justice [being] done. They must be arrested as soon as possible.” (Singh 2020).

He added, “I want to know why they took two lives. She was so happy to have another child, but now we had to bury her and her unborn child. For my child to go to the grave before me, is a pain I can never put into words.” (Singh 2020). He said his family was still shocked about what happened (Singh 2020).

“The whole family is in a state. My wife is inconsolable. I am the head of this family and I have to keep my shoulders strong enough for them to cry on me. But I am feeling this pain also. She was our youngest baby.” (Singh 2020).

He said that Zakiyya’s brother, who lives in Cape Town, could not attend her funeral.” The children were all so close. They would speak to each other almost every day, but because of this pandemic, my son could not see his sister off.” (Singh 2020).

Ahmedjan described Zakiyyah as friendly and always helpful with people (Singh 2020). “She was a humble and beautiful child. She was always willing to help. She was open to helping each and every person. She was the heart of the home. She had respect for people, whether they were rich, poor, black or white, she always treated people with love. She made us all better people.”(Singh 2020). He said that during Qurbani (animal sacrifice), she would cater for those who visited the farm (Singh 2020). “People who would go to the farm for the animal sacrifice, she would look after them. They would look up to her. What a beautiful baby I lost. I lost something so dear to me.” (Singh 2020).

Ahmedjan added that she was a good wife and daughter (Singh 2020). “She was so humble and loving with her husband. Her mother was close to her. Every day she would phone her mother, she would not miss a single day. She would tell her mother to pray for her every day. Her bond with her mother was also so strong and now it is gone.” (Singh 2020). He said Zakiyyah’s mother “cannot take it”(Singh 2020).

Additional Information – Family Dynamics

Husband Ayoob’s father was Abdul Shakoor Ismail, he was a well-known philanthropist who died two years ago in 2018.

The Ismail family have a feedlot and an abattoir on the farm. They also own a butchery and general dealer in the town.

Condolences from across the country have been shared on social media platforms in support of the family. In one of the posts, Zakiyya was described as a “humble soul” who loved her family deeply. Zakiyya was also well known among the community, as she was actively involved with charity work in and around the Weenen area.

Zakiyya, a former Durban Girls’ Secondary School pupil, was buried at the Weenen Cemetery.

Singh, K. 2020. They killed her in front of her children – father of pregnant woman murdered on KZN farm.
News24. Available at: https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/they-killed-her-in-Front-of-her-children-father-of-pregnant-woman-murdered-on-kzn-farm-20200707fbclid=IwAR3WQCTa7oMAjVl5eiQEKUus7pEKVsVpoWnoxoa8e3ymVx-rt5kJznnhpu8 Accessed on 2020-10-13