What started out as a misunderstanding between two nightclub patrons, turned violent on the morning of Heritage Day, leaving one person dead and another behind bars.
In the brawl that broke out at the popular Colors Nightclub in Heidedal in the early hours of Sunday morning, a young man from the community, Danian Jansen (35), sustained serious burns after he had allegedly been sprayed with diesel and set alight by another patron.
Jansen succumbed to his injuries in the Netcare Pelonomi Hospital on Sunday afternoon. A suspect has since been arrested by the police.
Commenting on the matter, police spokesperson, Ikobeng Hlubi, confirmed that a murder case has been opened and that the suspect has been arrested.
“He was arrested on Tuesday morning and will most likely appear at the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning,” Hlubi told Voice.
She also refuted rumours that the suspect was attacked and admitted to hospital as false and untrue. “I do not know where these rumours originate from, as the suspect was not in hospital when he was arrested by the police,” said Hlubi.
Rumours that another person was later killed in a revenge attack could not be confirmed by the police.
Speaking to Voice, Jansen’s distraught father, Pieter, said although his family has been left saddened by the death of his son, he has accepted it as God’s will.
“I see this as God’s way of saying to me: ‘My good servant, I want you to move closer to me.’,” said Jansen Snr.
According to an aunt of the deceased, Constance Michaels, the family is still stunned by what happened to the deceased at the nightclub on Sunday morning.
“We are really saddened by the cruel way in which Danian was taken away from us. He was such a happy-go-lucky person, who loved to crack jokes. According to people who saw the whole incident, a fight broke out between him and another person,” said Michaels.
Following the fight, Jansen was allegedly set alight.
“His friends then rushed him outside, trying to put the flames out. He was subsequently taken to the Netcare Pelonomi Hospital where he was admitted and later passed away. He had such a good heart and didn’t deserve to die like this,” Michaels told Voice.
A memorial service will be held for Jansen at the Uniting Reformed Church Heatherdale in Heidedal on Thursday at 19:00. He will be laid to rest in the Heather Heights Cemetery on Saturday 30 September at 11:00. The funeral service will be at the Uniting Reformed Church at 09:00.
– Pieter Delport
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