‘He was a kind soul’ – Family of Jesse Mitchell pays tribute following tragic death

Jesse Mitchell

Cape Town — The family of the first-year Stellenbosch University student, Jesse Mitchell, have mourned the loss of the young man who they described as “a kind soul.”

Mitchell was stabbed and killed on Borcherd Street in Stellenbosch in the early hours of Wednesday morning. He was pronounced dead on the scene and a 19-year-old man was arrested. Police reported on Friday morning that a further three suspects were also arrested.

According to IOL, Jesse was from Centurion in Gauteng and lived at the Nooitgedacht residence in Stellenbosch where he studied Computer Science. The day went from triumph to tragedy for Jesse and his family as the young man had turned 19 on the day that he died.

Jesse was one of five children. Three of his siblings (Aaron, Joshua and Lara) lived overseas while his younger brother, Jonathan (17) lived in Centurion with their mother, Michelle.

Joshua, Jesse’s older brother, described him as a gentle soul and paid tribute to him.

“Jesse was the best of us. He had an intense drive to succeed at everything he tried. He was incredibly intelligent and athletic. He loved going to church and to gym and was extremely passionate about photography and editing,” Joshua said.

Jesse was working part-time for a photo and video editing company while he was studying and he was doing well in both his work and studies.

“He was nervous about exams but I think he was very excited to finish his first year,” Joshua said.

The news of Jesse’s death hit his family hard. Joshua said the family found out at 2pm on Wednesday after he was noted to be missing by some friends. One of his friends went to the police station and identified his body.

“Jesse’s girlfriend called my oldest brother as soon as she heard and he called us all to let us know. As a family we are devastated, he was sweet and kind and to think of him dying a violent and senseless death is absolutely heartbreaking to say the very least.”

While the family are trying their utmost with their new reality, Joshua said that he may not be able to speak on behalf of everyone, but he believes the genuine kindness Jesse showed everyone he cared for would be missed the most.

According to TimesLIVE, Jesse’s cousin Bianca Jordaan created a GoFundme campaign to assist the family with funeral expenses. Michelle is a single mother seeking support at this time and said Jesse’s sudden death left the entire family in shock.

“It is with a heavy heart to share the tragic news of Jesse’s passing. Jesse was a beloved friend, and family member, who was tragically killed on October 16 on his 19th birthday,” said Jordaan.

“Jesse was a talented, creative and ambitious 19-year-old studying computer science at the University of Stellenbosch. He was so young and had so much potential,” she said.

Meanwhile, News24 reported that the teenager accused of murdering Jesse Mitchell, Rudolf Hufke, made his first court appearance on Friday at the Stellenbosch Magistrate’s Court and he will remain behind bars until next week.

Hufke opted to use a Legal Aid representative to represent him in court. He is facing charges of murder and aggravated robbery. While he was in the dock, he looked around the gallery for familiar faces.

Both the prosecutor and the defence indicated that they were opposed to having the accused’s photo taken.

Magistrate Alaric Amos ruled that no images could be taken inside the court, because the media’s application could not be processed as the court’s microphones were not working. The application to take photos must be on record. Amos however indicated that images could be taken outside court.

Amos postponed the case until Monday, and informed the accused that his trial could not proceed because the microphones in the courtroom were not working.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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