Dad Kills Son, Self On Xmas Eve

Christmas Eve will never be the same for this Cape Flats family again.

This is after 10-year-old Dakota Arendse’s young life was snuffed out on Friday evening. Cops believe his father Shahied Toffar, 36, ended the boy’s life  hours before he would have opened his Christmas presents.

The quiet dad, who lived alone in his home in Pyrenees Street, Tafelsig, choked the bright young learner to death in a bedroom.

Inside the bathroom, cops discovered Shahied’s body – he had slit both his wrists before hanging himself.

When the Daily Voice arrived at the scene, shocked neighbours gathered outside, leaving their Christmas preparations behind.

Relatives say Dakota was looking forward to Grade 5 in 2011 after receiving an A-pass.

Dakota was supposed to return home on Friday morning after spending a day with his dad. But he never made it home for Christmas.

His older sister Ananda Carelse, 16, made the chilling discovery just before 7.30pm. She says before finding the bodies, she had a strange feeling that  something was wrong with Dakota.

“He (Dakota) went to his father the Thursday evening and he was supposed to come home the Friday morning,” explains Ananda.

“I had a feeling that something was wrong when I phoned his (Dakota’s) cellphone and there was no answer. I knew they would never go out for so long.”

Ananda says upon arriving at the house, she pushed open the door and discovered a suicide note hanging in the front room.

“When I opened the door, I saw the letter near the arches,” says the emotional teen.

It is believed that her screaming alerted neighbours who immediately called the police.

“I didn’t know what to do, I went cold and fainted,” she says.

Yesterday, Dakota’s mom Natasha Arendse, 41, was overcome with emotion, sitting next to a pile of clothing belonging to her son. She holds up a Manchester  United jersey with Dakota’s name and age printed on the back and can barely speak or touch the clothing when she says that it was meant to be his Christmas  outfit.

“He was so excited for Christmas that he put his clothing out before and even fit it on for us before the time,” she says fighting back the tears.

Natasha says she split from Shahied a year ago, but refuses to discuss their relationship.

“We were dating and Dakota was our child together, we were not together for a year,” is all Natasha will say.

Grandmother Daphne Arendse, 63, was also in tears.

“He was special… an angel on earth,” says the grief-stricken grandmother.

“Oh, Lord, he was a lovable child and he did so well at school. He never swore and was never rude.

“He made us proud after getting As for all his subjects and was playing soccer for Swartklip Football Association.”

Shahied’s mother Shahieda Toffar says she buried her son on Sunday.

“It was his janaazah and I put him to rest… I can’t speak right now, this is a difficult time,” she says.

Meanwhile, Shahied’s shocked neighbour Kaelien Wagner, 60, says he was a man who kept to himself.

“He would greet and was quiet,” she says.

“When I heard the boy’s aunt screaming, we all ran to the house, we were shocked when we heard he hanged himself and killed the child.”

Mitchell’s Plain police spokesperson Constable Jerome Voegt says police have opened up a case of murder.

“On arrival police found the body of the 36-year-old father, Shahied Toffar, hanging in the bathroom with both his wrists slit,” says Constable Voegt.

“In another room they found the body of his son, Dakota Arendse, on the bed with bloodstains to his upper body.

“Both of them were declared dead on the scene.”

Constable Voegt says preliminary investigation indicate that Dakota was seriously assaulted and choked in the bedroom and this led to his death.

Constable Voegt says: “The circumstances surrounding the death of the father and his son will be investigated and we opened a murder case.”

Dakota is expected to be buried tomorrow.

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