Pastor and son- suspects in ‘hit and run’

A Westcliff man is currently fighting for his life after he was allegedly run over by a pastor and his son, following an altercation. Anton Marcus Madurai is straddling the line between life and death and has had to have three surgeries to stop bleeding in his brain.

His mother, Roxanne, was also knocked over in the incident, sustained a fractured arm, among other injuries, and alleges that this was a hit and run.

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“We went out as a family on that day, which included my husband and two sons. On our way back, we passed the pastor’s house as he lives on the same road as us. We stopped and my son exchanged greetings with the pastor, who was at his gate. Anton told him that he had arrived to see him the other day, and since he was not there, he asked when he could meet with him. They arranged this for the next day. It was an absolutely polite conversationthere was no arguing or fighting,” she claimed.

The 40-year-old receptionist went on to state that shortly after this, the pastor’s son and son-in-law walked out of the home and approached their vehicle, trying to open the doors.

“My son’s girlfriend was sitting with his child in the front, because the child was there, she held her child and questioned their actions and pulled the door to close it. I told my son to just drive and go as there were children there. We drove home and as we entered the yard, they came down with the car and stopped outside. I went outside and asked, ‘Pastor, why are you fighting?’. I could not understand how or why this was happening. They were also joined by some of the boys, who work for the pastor and had called my son outside- they wanted to come inside the yard as well. I held the gate and didn’t allow my son to go outside or them to come inside. From outside, they had sticks and pipes. They said ‘Come outside, Anton. We will show you’. If my son was arguing with them, I could understand their anger. There was a housing issue previously, however, that had been squashed. While I was holding the gate, he (the pastor) was hitting my head with a stick. My smallest son, who is 11, tried to protect me and got his hand hurt as well. After a while of swearing back and forth, the pastor and his son jumped in their car and drove down the road with the rest of the boys, including the son-in-law, turning around. At that point, my son had overpowered me and opened the gate. He ran up and asked them what they were fighting for. I was running up after him, and that was when the pastor and his son re-emerged from the top of the road, as they had driven around, and drove straight into my son. They hit him head-on. He flew up, hit the windscreen and hit the ground. When I saw that, I tried to run and get away from the car, but I still got hit. The pastor was inside the car while his son drove into us. They drove off and left us there. I thought my son was dead. I screamed for help but nobody came. Despite the pain I was in, I got up and went to my son,” she further claimed.

She alleged that neighbours were outside watching this.

“They were shocked that the pastor and his family could behave in this manner. My family and I go to his church. As a pastor, he did not come to find out how we were, what had happened, or anything of that sort,” she continued.

Anton is receiving treatment at a local hospital where he has been unconscious ever since.

“We do not know if he will ever regain consciousness or recover. The last thing that the doctor said is that they put a device in his head to stop the bleeding and they will be monitoring him. One of the other doctors said that I needed to be prepared, as his life could go one way or the other. They say that he will never be the same again- he might lose some or all motor functions or lose his memory. I am devastated. I try to be strong for the sake of my youngest son, who saw everything, but it kills me every day because I am so scared that my son is there in the hospital, not knowing the outcome and knowing he is fighting for his life. Anton’s father was never there for us, and I was forced to bring him up as a single mother, so to see him like this is traumatic,” explained the 40-year-old.

Roxanne has not been to work since the incident, creating an issue as she is the sole provider of the household, which is the home to 12 others.

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“I believe the pastor masterminded this. I fractured my right arm and was hurt on my knee when they crashed into me. I want no stone unturned. This is not about naming and shaming. As a mother, I want justice for my son. I am just having faith and I am praying every day,” she concluded.

Communications officer of Chatsworth SAPS, Cpt Cheryl Pillay, confirmed that police are investigating a case of reckless and negligent driving, with investigations still ongoing.