WATCH: Heartbroken family of sisters gunned down in Mitchells Plain calls for compassion
Sisters Zainab Jacobs and Gouwah Smith Newman
Image: Supplied.
A father’s shattered heart and a family torn apart lie at the centre of the shocking tragedy in Mitchell’s Plain, where two sisters were gunned down outside Portlands Primary School while fetching their brother’s children.
In an exclusive sit-down with the Weekend Argus, the family of accused shooter Ederees Smith and his murdered sisters, Zainab Jacobs and Gouwa Smith-Newman, have urged the public to stop speculating about what happened and to instead keep the children in their prayers.
The family, now fighting to reunite the children with their mother, described the past week as one of unimaginable pain and confusion.
Zainab and Gouwa were allegedly shot by their brother, Ederees, outside the school in broad daylight. The incident, which also left a 12-year-old bystander injured, has shocked the community and sparked widespread debate over what could have led to the fatal confrontation.
According to the siblings’ father, Mogamat Nadeem Smith, the tragedy stems from what he describes as “obsession and envy.”
“All I can say is that my grandkids belong with their mother. They should have never been taken away. I believe this whole thing could’ve been avoided if the justice system did their job properly,” he said.
Mogamat Nadeem added that neither of his daughters had children of their own, and that during the 15 years Ederees and his wife, Wadee-ah, lived with him, he never witnessed abuse.
“They loved their children. He never abused his children; disciplined, yes, but never abuse. He wasn’t a gangster, he never even had a cigarette across his mouth and the children’s mom and him were still happily together.
"People must really stop with this narrative that he was an abuser. It’s not at all like that. Those kids were unfairly taken away, and it broke him, like it would break any father.
Wadee-ah Smith with her father-in-law and Ederees, Zainab and Gouwah's father Mogamat Nadeem Smith
Image: Tracy-Lynn Ruiters
“He even told me when I visited him that he felt sad and disappointed in himself and mentioned that having his kids taken away felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest.
"That’s all I can say. I believe the truth will come out. Right now, my focus is on getting them back with their mother, where they rightfully belong.”
A heartbroken Wadee-ah said she last saw her two sons on Thursday evening after the shooting. “I can’t describe how it feels to be without your children,” she said softly. “I know they will be returned because we did nothing wrong. Even the neighbours signed petitions and wrote letters about what type of parents we are.”
She said the day of the tragedy came just three days after a court ruling that the couple’s sons would remain in the custody of Zainab and her husband until January, pending further investigation into abuse allegations.
“I couldn’t understand, because before that the social worker came to our house, declared us fit to have custody, and noted that the children grew up in a safe environment. So what is happening now?” she asked.
Wadee-ah said she and Ederees had said their goodbyes to the boys, but the pain hit hard later that night. “We couldn’t sleep. Ederees would walk around at night crying. I still can’t sleep, I can’t eat. Our baby daughter keeps asking where her brothers are. I don't know what to say, our eldest daughter, as strong as she is, I can see she is broken too.”
She said on the day of the tragedy, Ederees came home with the children and confessed what he had done.
“He asked me if he should hand himself over or kill himself. I told him to hand himself over, because the children wouldn’t cope without him. He lived for them and we never lacked anything.”
About Ederees having a gun on himself, Wadee-ah added: "Ederees always carried a gun on him, it was a legal gun."
The family have pleaded for space, privacy, and compassion, saying the focus should remain on the children who have now lost both their aunts and their father’s freedom.
"What he did was wrong, we can say it over and over, but right now the focus is on the kids...
“I am going to say this again, the truth is going to come out and everyone will be shocked, but for now people must stop spreading stories and remember there are little ones caught in the middle of this,” Mogamat Nadeem said. “Pray for them, that's all we ask.”
Smith, 32, and his co-accused, who is said to be the driver of the getaway car Nazmie Lekay, 33, will appear in court again on 17 November, while Wadee-ah and Mogamat Nadeem will approach the children's court on 13 November.