Death parts mom, sons
2003-07-22 22:42
Johannesburg - The East Rand mother who gassed her three sons this weekend will be buried hundreds of kilometres from her sons because of a family feud.
Lindie Enrick, 30, will be buried in Kempton Park on Friday, whereas Trevor, 11, Justin, 6, and Michael, 5, will be buried in Bethlehem in the Free State on the same day.
"It's terrible for them to be divided like this in death. She loved them so dearly," said Enrick's brother-in-law Ferdi Venter.
The children's father Tarkwin Enrick insisted his children be buried in his home town.
Funeral arrangements had already been made for the children to be buried in the same graveyard as their mother.
The Enricks divorced three years ago after nine years of marriage. Mrs Enrick had custody of the children.
'Play dad'
"I didn't see them very often but we loved each other very much. They were my sons - I must bury them," said Mr Enrick on Tuesday.
Mrs Enrick's boyfriend Kobus Visser, who she and her children have been living with for the past two years, believes it's wrong of the father to want to lay claim to his children after three years of "almost total absence".
"I took care of the boys for two years. Their father didn't even call them on their birthdays. Now that they're dead he wants to come and play dad."
Mrs Enrick's family are also stunned at not being able to attend the funeral. "The funeral arrangements had already been made. Then came the shocking news that he (Mr Enrick) would take the children's bodies away."
Refused to take them
Venter said Enrick should have been a father when he had the chance. "Lindie begged him on numerous occasions to look after the children so she could sort out her problems. He refused to take them."
Mr Enrick said he would have been been willing to look after the children but had been unable to because he lived with his mother.
Visser said he'd considered legal action but realised there was nothing he could do. "Tarkwin is the legal parent."
Venter believes it's "sad" for family disunity to erupt at such a time. "I'd hoped we could all work something out together, because we all loved the children."
Mrs Enrick will be buried at the Maaranatha Community Church in Kempton Park and her children at the Jehova Witness church in Bethlehem.