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Community members demonstrate during a peaceful sit-in protest against the murder of Nathaniel Julies, 16, in Eldorado Park.
PHOTO: Laird Forbes, Gallo Images
- Nathaniel Julies was killed in front of his home on August 26.
- His death sparked strong protests throughout Eldorado Park in which residents clashed with police.
- On Thursday night, Julies was honored and remembered at a memorial service.
Emotions were running high Thursday night as Eldorado Park residents paid tribute to 16-year-old Nathaniel Julies.
Speaker after speaker expressed their disgust at the way the teenager lost his life, allegedly at the hands of those who are meant to protect the nation.
His messages left many in tears, especially Julies’ close relatives and neighbors.
Her mother, Bridget Harris, hugged her husband, Clint Smith, as tributes and scriptures were read.
His sister Pertunia sang a song in memory of her brother.
The crowd also joined in on the song as singer after singer continued the procession.
The memorial, largely attended by Eldorado Park residents, took place in an apartment block just yards from where he had been killed.
Pastor Marcus Jacobs said that as residents, they were sick and tired of death around them.
He said:
This boy has sent a message to the nation that all he wanted to do was live. Give the children of Eldorado Park [the chance] to live, play, laugh and sing again, and move where they want.
“I want to encourage this community to speak out about all these evil people who move around us and hurt us. There are more good people here than evil people. The judge must stand up now,” Jacobs said.
He added that, as residents, they wanted to live in peace in their community.
“To the South African police, we want to say forcefully tonight that you must have compassion [for] our people. Serve our people. This boy wanted to be served, but he shot him with a shotgun.
The pastor said:
We want law and order to return. Order must return to this community. We must cherish the life of little Nathaniel. We want the [Eldorado Park] Station commander to clean the police station of all bad apples.
Earlier in the day, Detective Sergeant Foster Netshiongolo, 37, the third Eldorado Park police officer to be arrested in connection with Julies’ death, appeared briefly in Protea Magistrates Court.
Netshiongolo and his colleagues, Simon Scorpion Ndyalvane, 46, and Caylene Whiteboy, 26, are expected to return to court on September 10.
Ndyalvane and Whiteboy face charges of premeditated murder, annulment of the purposes of justice, firing of a firearm in a public space and possession of prohibited ammunition.
Netshiongolo faces charges of murder as an accessory to the act, illegal possession of ammunition and annulment of the purposes of justice.
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