A Nigerian man, Mr David Satlat, the father of the 22-year-old e-hailing driver, Isaac, who was killed by South African car hijackers, has been hospitalised, Diaspora Tales has learnt.
The uncle of the deceased, Mr Solomon Ashoms, disclosed this to our Correspondent on Thursday.
Isaac was murdered by suspected car hijackers on February 11, 2026, in Pretoria, after he received a notification for a ride order.
The suspects have been arrested and prosecuted by South African authorities following agitation for justice for the Nigerian.
Three suspects, Dikeledi Mphela, Goitsione Machidi, and McClaren Mushwana, were arraigned at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court for the brutal murder of the 22-year-old Nigerian.
Speaking about the incident, Ashoms said, “Isaac’s father was broken, in pain and devastated. He became ill after identifying the corpse of his son in the mortuary.
“His blood pressure rose to 238 and he had to be admitted into a clinic. He is being monitored daily. I am Isaac’s uncle. His father and I are from Jos. I have been in South Africa for over 20 years now.
“I came to study in Cape Town and then later left to study in the United Kingdom but still came back. My wife is Zulu from South Africa and we call ourselves ‘Southgerians’. We have two boys.”
When asked for his thoughts on his nephew’s death, he stated that it was car hijacking crime which was rampant in South Africa.
“They targeted him so they could take his car, money and phone. He fought for his life but didn’t make it. Crime is a big problem in South Africa,” he stated.
“The mother and siblings are in pain and still find it unbelievable. They haven’t seen him in a couple of years, and now they will never see him alive again.
“We are currently raising money to repatriate the body back home to Nigeria and he will then be buried in Pankshin Local Government, Plateau State.
“We have raised over half the money we need, thanks to a lot of people in South Africa who have been giving.”
Reacting to the appearance of the suspects in court, he said, “South Africa doesn’t have a death sentence.
“So, we want the maximum life sentence, and they should only be considered for parole after 20 years. As Christians, we don’t support the death sentence.”
Isaac’s uncle also said, “We expect the Nigerian government to support the family in any way, put some pressure on the South African government to tackle crime and warn Nigerians to always be careful.”
“Isaac was a likeable boy, social, a model, adventurous and very good and creative with his hands,” he added.