“I ask, what is justice? Yes, a criminal is off the street, but we sit with the hurt and pain. I still have to work, so he has food behind bars and a good night’s rest while we have sleepless nights crying because we lost Aaliyah brutally. I will never be able to see and hug or hear my daughter’s voice.”
Action Society received a mandate from the heartbroken and angry father – Junaid Garth Francis – of 20-year-old Aaliyah Shingy to oversee the prosecution of her death. She was murdered in Delft, Cape Town, last month, and her body was found in a shallow grave. Her boyfriend was arrested in connection with the murder and is set to appear in the Bellville Magistrates Court on 4 April 2023.
(Junaid Francis speaks about his daughter Aaliyah)
Aaliyah was originally from Port Elizabeth and permanently moved to Cape Town in 2019. She met her boyfriend in Delft in 2021. The family told Action Society they were unaware her boyfriend was physically assaulting her until January.
Her sister, Alvishka Alveena Hendricks, said Aaliyah called her from the Delft police station at one in the morning about her boyfriend hitting her with the spade. “She was seeking help at the police station. I asked her if I must come through to the station, and she said she would walk back. However, she said I have to contact her father, who is in PE,” she said.
Alvishka recalls that she became worried and tried to find her sister when they lost communication in February. “On 12 February, we got the call to say Aaliyah is dead,” she said.
Junaid said he came to Cape Town to bury his daughter and endured frustration at the police station. “The police were slow and extremely unhelpful. We had so many questions and had to run around and try and piece things together,” he said.
Action Society is alarmed at the level of violence perpetrated against women. “This family was extremely emotional when speaking about the death of Aaliyah,” said Kaylynn Palm, Action Centre coordinator at Action Society. “The country is plagued by horrific stories of women killed by their partners. We cannot continue watching women being slaughtered and killed daily; it is wrong. We will do all we can to assist the family through the Action Centre.”
