Action Society has been officially mandated by the family of 16-year-old Jayden Masson to assist in securing justice after his suspicious death in December 2021. As a first step, Action Society has written to the prosecutor assigned to the matter, requesting urgent clarity on the status of the inquest, the ongoing delay in the issuing of subpoenas, and the reasoning behind the unexplained transfer of the docket to Meyerton.
Jayden died on 22 December 2021 at his father’s property on Aloe Ridge Drive in the Walkerville area, south of Johannesburg. Despite overwhelming medical and forensic evidence indicating grievous bodily harm, the investigation into his death has been severely mishandled—raising serious questions about accountability within the justice system.
Kevin Morris, Jayden’s father, acknowledged that the boy died at his home, yet he has reportedly failed to cooperate with the investigation. He has publicly claimed that they think Jayden died of a heart attack. Subsequent to this various other causes of death have also been put forward by Mr Morris. All this despite the fact that both the attending doctor and the State Pathologist concluded that the cause of death was consistent with a violent physical assault.
“It is unacceptable that a young boy could die under such violent circumstances, and yet the case has been handled with such disregard,” said Juanita du Preez, spokesperson for Action Society. “Evidence was lost, critical interviews were delayed, glaring contradictions were ignored, and the crime scene was never properly reconstructed. These failures demand urgent scrutiny.”
It took over two years for the case to be formally reclassified as murder. This eventually took place during February 2024. The family took the matter up with the Director of Public Prosecutions in Pretoria. On 1 November 2024, the family was informed that the matter had been escalated to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who recommended that an inquest be held. The inquest is to be managed by district court prosecutors, though no date has been set. The docket was later submitted to the Senior Public Prosecutor (Vereeniging) but was reportedly incomplete and lacking key information.
“There has been a complete breakdown of justice in this case,” Du Preez added. “This young man died a violent death, yet his family has had to fight tooth and nail for the truth to even be acknowledged. Our goal is to ensure that the inquest is handled with integrity, and that those who failed Jayden—whether through negligence or intent—are held accountable.”
Action Society will continue to monitor the case closely and is committed to pursuing all available avenues to secure justice for Jayden and his family.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Du Preez concluded. “This case needs the full attention of the legal system, and Action Society will not rest until accountability is achieved.”
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