Drug addiction has ended the life of another young man as he has been sentenced to die in prison after killing his money under the influence of hard drugs.

Shalendra Samath, 38, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Verulam Regional Court for the murder of his mother, 62-year-old Ormilla Samdath. Samath had a history of drug addiction and demanded money from his mother days before her murder. After a dispute, he left the residence and was later discovered by Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) at the scene.

RUSA paramedics found his mother lifeless with at least six stab wounds and blunt force trauma to her head and face. She was pronounced deceased at the scene. Investigations revealed that Samath had withdrawn R3000 from his mother’s ATM shortly after the murder. He had been in custody awaiting trial since 2021.

It’s absolutely heartbreaking that as parents, we can’t always protect our children from the dangers of drug abuse. We have to be proactive and try to get them help as soon as we realize that they’re struggling. If they refuse help and continue to put themselves and their loved ones at risk, we may have to resort to restraining orders to keep everyone safe.

Unfortunately, the law doesn’t always provide the support and protection we need in these situations. There have been too many tragic cases of drug-addicted family members committing crimes this year alone. It’s not my place to judge how any parent deals with this situation, but I can only imagine the pain and fear they must be feeling. I pray that I never have to experience this myself, and that I would have the strength to do whatever it takes to keep my loved ones safe if I ever do.